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Dining Room Notes 



PRACTICAL HAND-BOOK 



I" () i; 



HIOTJSEIEEEiE^EI^S. 



E M I I. \' II A Y E S 



1?K \T-|T,i:]U)RO. VT. 

I S S - . 



HINTS WORTH HEEDING. 

There are probably few ladies who read these pages who have not made use of the Diamond Dves 
for Domestic Dyeing. Very likely many think they know all about them, and therefore will feel'in- 
clined to skip this page. Hut we would assure them that hardly a week passes in ^ hich the proprie- 
tors do not find some new purpose for which they have been found useful. We therefore ask every 
reader to note carefully our story, for you will surely find something of special interest. 

IDIJ^IMIOnsriD ID^STES 

Have now been before the public nearly four years, and such has been the favor with which they 
have been received that a million packages per month are sold. In every hamlet, town and city of 
this country they are staple articles, and in every English-speaking country of the world special 
houses have been established to supply the demand. This great popularity liasVesulted from the com- 
plete satisfaction which the Dyes have given to those using them, so that one person has told anotlKT 
and another, and in this way their use and fame has spread to every part of the land. 

WHAT ARE THE DYES USED FOR? 

JFOR AZL KINDS OT DOMESTIC AND FANCY COJ.ORINfi. 

' DKESSES, COATS, CLOAKS, WRAPPERS, AND ALL GARMENTS, can be colored over aiiv color 
desii-ed. No longer necessary to send them to a professional Dyer. 

SHAWLS, HOODS, SCARFS, YARN STOCKINGS, AND ALL WOOLEN ARTICLES are easily 
dyed any color wanted. Any faded or dingy article can be made to look like new. 

DRESSES, RIBBONS, TIES, FRINGES, OR ANYTHING MADE OF SILK, take the various dyes so 
quickly and beautifully it is a pleasure to use them. 

TO COLOR COTTONS most of the Dyes work well, while the Special Cotton Color.s— Blue. Green. 
Yellow, Scarlet and Cardinal — are new and vastly superior to any others. 

CARPET-RAGS, RUGS, .tc— No (jther Dyes so good for these as the Diamond. 

FEATHERS.— Don't be afraid to color over your Feathers with Diamond Dves. Thev tak.' the col- 
ors (except black) beautifully. Try one. 

BASKET WORK and Wooden Articles of any kind can be dyed or stained any desired color. 

PHOTOGRAPHS can be beautifully colored with Liquid Colors made from Diamond Dyes. Send 
for special art circular. 

SCHOOLS use them in a great variety of ways, for Object Teaching, Map Drawing and Coloring. 
&c. Send for circular to teachers. 

DRAUGHTSMEN AND COPYISTS use many colors of these Dyes in making plans, sketches, Ac. 

MOSSES, GRASSES, EVERLASTING FLOWERS, CRYSTALIZED FLOWERS, &c., can be beauti- 
fully colored. 

INK. — A package of Dye makes a pint of the finest Ink. for family, .school, or ccnnmercial use. 
writing, copying, stamping, shading, &c. Any color wanted can be made. 

LIQUID SHOE POLISH, for ladies' shoes, fully equal to the best, and at a fraction of the cost. 

Please write at once for sample card, and for book of directions, with the story of "HOJV COUSLY 
JOHN'S WIFE USED DMMOND DYES,- by Emily Hayes. Enclose stamp for postage. 
A Beautiful, Colored Cabinet Photograph, and full directions for doing the work, sent for 10 cts. 

The Dyes are sold by all druggists, or will be sent by mail on receipt of price. Address the pro- 
prietors, WELLS, RICHARDSOX & CO., Burlington, Vt. 

THE DIAMOND PAINTS, 

GOLD, SILVER, COPPER AND BRONZE, 

For gilding, silvering or bronzing Fancy Baskets, Frames, Lamps, Chand liers, and for all kinds of 
ornamental work. Also Artists Black for Ebonizing. Equal to any of the high priced kinds and only 
TEN cents a package, at the druggists, or postpaid from 

WELLS, RICHARDSON & CO., Burlington, Vt. 



The Health Food Company's 



FEW REMARKS. 



The author of this little cooking: manual ha's taken 
much pains to test in various ways the food-substan- 
ces which we prepare, and has given in this volume 
the results of her many experiments, in the form of 
carefully prepared recipes. Some of these recipes 
were originally published in the excellent Brattle- 
boro Household, and have been found satisfactory 
to all housewives who use our Health Foods. It has 
been a source of great satisfaction to us to observe that 
so intelligent and competent a lady should voluntarily 
employ her ample means to make known the best 
methods of preparing our superior foods. VVe know 
them to be, when properly cooked, the best ?"oods 
IN THE WORLD, and we know that proper cooking 
is sure if Miss Hayes' rules are carefully followed. 

We cheerfully send pamphlets describing all our 
Health Foods, to all applicants, and are always glad 
to answer questions from the sick, and tell them how 
to recover health. 

THE HEALTH FOOD CO., 
No. 66 Fourth Avenue, Cor. lo St., New York. 



Dining Room Notes: 



Practical Hand-Book 



FOR 



SZOTJSEIECEEIPEI^S. 



Emily Hayes. 




BRATTLEliORO, VT, 
1885. 






A^ 



W 



Copyright b^' 
Geo. E . C R o w E I. L 

rSSc;. 



fBANK E HOUSH, PRINTER, BRATTLEBORO, VT. 



s~^ ? 



CONTENTS. 



Soup ........ 5 

Fish 11 

Poultry . . . . 22 

Meats ........ 30 

How TO Use the Pieces ... 33 

Eggs ........ 47 

Vegetables ...... 50 

Bread . . . . . . . .60 

Cake 73 

Pastry ........ 96 

Puddings ....... 104 

Tea, Coffee, Etc. ..... 123 

Preserves, Jellies, Etc. . . . 128 

Pickles 147 

Postscript ....... 155 

Health Foods and How to Cook Them 160 



;3^ 



Within the past few years improvements have 
been made in ahnost every branch of domestic labor 
as w^ell as in the important work outside the home. 

Years ago our great grandmothers used very crude 
preparations of their own make to aerate their batter 
cakes &c., growing from that to use the strong un- 
wholesome saleratus which they stirred into their 
butter milk or sour milk to lighten their breadstuff's. 
Later came the great improvements in the shape of 
cream of tartar, and refined soda, in the use of which, 
however, success was dependent upon purity of ma- 
terials and exact measurement. It required consider- 
able care to get precisely the proper quantity to ob- 
tain good results. To this difficulty was soon added 
the adulteration of these very desirable articles with 
injurious substances. 

But all of these objections have been overcome in 
the preparation of Cleveland's Superior Baking Pow- 
der, an article that has been thoroughly endorsed for 
purity and healthfulness by the leading chemists of 
the country, and which is giving such general satis- 
faction that thousands of housekeepers are enthusi- 
astic in its praise. The author of this little manual 
finds no baking powder equal to Cleveland's, which 
she has used constantly for the past five years. 



PREFACE. 



TTTITH the kind permission of Mr. Crowell, the 
''* pubhsher of the Brattleboro Vt. Household, 
and at the request of many of its subscribers, we 
have compiled this httle volume from the series of 
" Dining Room Notes " published during the last 
five years in that excellent domestic journal. 

To these recipes we have added others in frequent 
use in our family, and, deeming no cook book of the 
present day complete without directions for using 
the cereal foods so necessary to health, we have 
added a chapter of recipes, — the result of long use. 
and personal experiment with these valuable articles 
of diet. 

We take pleasure in calling the attention of oui 
readers through our advertising columns not only to 
these, but other articles, — all of which are well 
known and appreciated in our family. Although 
our little book makes no pretention to be a " complete 
cook book," so far as it goes we have endeavored 



IV 



Prefi 



ace. 



to make it of practical benefit to young and inexperi- 
enced housewives, giving, tiierefore, especial attention 
to details in all the recipes ; the manner in whicii the 
materials used should be put together as well as the 
exact quantities required. 

Emily Hayes. 

1885. 






Soups. 



IF any words of mine could help to do away with the 
prejudice against soups, I should feel deserving of 
a place with the reformers of the age. I well know 
the opposition the " soup question " meets in so many 
households; "it makes so much work," and is "so 
difficult to make," and — the most mistaken idea of 
all — " costs so much." 

The work is little, the expense is almost nothing, 
while there is nothing more wholesome than the small 
plateful of warm soup before partaking of the heavier 
dishes of one's dinner. 

I don't mean the rich, heavy, high -seasoned soups 
of old days, but the light, dehcate flavored varieties, 
so much in use at present. 

I must protest against the prevalent idea that the 
soup kettle or stock pot should be " always simmer- 
ing on the hob," unless for soups which are to be 
very highly seasoned. 

I do not like the stock foundation, made, as it 
usually is, from bones, and by long and repeated boil- 
ing reduced to a stiff jelly which is kept for weeks. 
To me, such stock give delicate soups an unpleasant 
gluey flavor, and the best soups are made wholly on 
the day they are to be served, or the day before, or at 
least from stock so fresh that it is a soft jelly-like sub- 

A 



6 Dining Room Notes. 

stance, the best foundation for which is a shank of 
beef, boiled not longer than six or seven hours. Strain, 
and when used, skim off the fat, which will be excel- 
lent to use, after proper clarifying, mixed with an 
equal quantity of butter in cookies, ginger-bread, etc. 

No foundation for soup is better than the bones 
from roast beef or mutton. Sometimes we put the 
bones on a gridiron over a clear fire for a few minutes, 
before putting them on to boil, adding any scraps of 
the cold meat which we may have on hand, and a 
tablespoonful of rice, or two medium sized potatoes, 
cut in thin slices. For the bones from a leg or loin of 
mutton or rib roast of beef, allow from three pints to 
two quarts of water, (cold) and cover closely, boiUng 
three or four hours. Half an hour before dinner, re- 
move all the bones and meat, adding boiling water to 
make the required quantity, if it has boiled down. 
Salt to taste ; add a small bunch of celery cut fine, 
cook fifteen or twenty minutes, strain into a warm 
tureen, and serve as quickly as possible. 

The flavoring may be varied, a chopped carrot, an 
onion, or a little browned flour, or a quart of nice, 
ripe tomatoes, may be used instead of the celery ; or a 
real vegetable soup may be made by adding two pota- 
toes, an onion, two carrots, one quarter of a small cab- 
bage, or a small head of cauliflower, all cut in small 
pieces, and put in the soup at least three-quarters of 
an hour before dinner, removing nothing but the bones 
and scraps of meat. Three pounds of lean beef or 
mutton, part of each is better, and the cheapest pieces 
are good, will answer in place of the roast meat bones. 
Soups should be made in porcelain lined kettles, should 
cook slowly, and are usually served with toasted 



Soups. 7 

bread cut in small squares, unless vermicelli or mac- 
caroni is used. Or, the bones and pieces from roast 
meat, especially if there is considerable fat, as in a 
loin of mutton, may be boiled in sufficient water for 
the soup the day before it is to be served, strained, 
and placed vs^here it w^ill cool slowly. 

In the morning remove all the fat, and put the 
broth in a kettle or saucepan, with rice or potatoes, as 
in the former recipe ; when it boils, add salt to taste 
and any vegetables desired, chopped or cut fine ; cook 
slowly for an hour and a half and serve. This is a 
nice foundation for a tomato soup also, using a pint 
of canned tomatoes instead of the celery or other veg- 
etables, adding them an hour before the soup is done, 
and strain like the celery soup, always using the rice 
and potatoes to thicken the soup, it being nicer than 
flour, a little of which, browned, we sometimes add to 
give flavor. 

A tomato soup without meat is very nice for a 
summer dinner, or it may be made in winter from 
canned tomatoes, using a pint of the canned in place 
of the dozen fresh tomatoes, and add, just before stir- 
ring in the milk, a small amount (not more than one- 
fourth of ateaspoonful), of soda, which should be un- 
necessary with the fresh fruit. The following is an 
excellent recipe : 

Wash and cut a dozen fresh, ripe tomatoes, put 
them in a porcelain saucepan with a pint of water 
and cook half an hour after they begin to boil. Mash 
fine, add a quart of good new milk, scalding hot, sea- 
son with salt and pepper, a tablespoonful of butter, 
and stir in a scant tablespoonful of corn-starch mixed 
smooth with a little water, or two crackers rolled fine. 



8 Dining Room Notes. 

Let it simmer five minutes, strain into a warm tureen^ 
and serve with crackers or little squares of toast. If 
milk is not plenty, use a pint of water and one of 
milk, adding the water to the tomatoes at first. 

Green peas make a delicious soup. Boil one quart 
of peas in a quart of water for twenty minutes, mash, 
add a quart of milk, a tablespoonful of butter, and salt 
and pepper to taste. Let it just come to the boiling- 
point and serve immediately. Any sweet herbs liked 
may be used in place of the pepper. 

A plain potato soup is very nice, and very easily 
prepared. Peel and slice three or four onions, and 
peel eight medium sized potatoes — two or three 
more if they are small — put them in a sauce pan witli 
three pints of water and a teaspoonful of salt and boil 
steadily for an hour. Take out the potatoes and 
mash them fine, stir in a teaspoonful of flour, and a 
tablespoonful of butter, and return to the kettle. Boil 
half an hour, add more salt if necessary, and a pint of 
hot milk. Let it come just to the boiling point and 
send to the table immediately. This is very simple, 
but at the same time is verv nice, and will be found a 
capital substitute for an oyster stew in winter, when 
your "Johns " come home to supper cold, and hungry.. 
The seasoning can be varied to suit one's taste at 
pleasure. If the water " boils away " enough more 
should be added to make the two quarts of soup when 
done. Serve with oyster crackers or toasted bread 
cut in small squares. 

Macaroni and vermicelli are very nice in soups. 
Either may be added to any soup not previously 
thickened with rice or potatoes. Wash carefully and^ 
put into a stewpan with cold water to 'cover; let it 



Soups. 9 

"heat gradually, and when hot add to the soup twenty 
minutes or half an hour before serving. The maca- 
roni should be broken in pieces an inch or less in 
length. 

Brown soups are easily made by the addition of a 
tablespoonful of browned flour. A teacupful may 
be browned at once, putting it when cold into a glass 
jar, covering closely. It will be found very conven- 
ient, and will keep a long time in any cool closet. 
To prepare it, put the flour, a little at a time, in a hot 
frying-pan, stirring rapidly, and taking care it does 
not scorch, as, should it do so, it is unfit for use. 
When a rich dark brown it is done. 

A brown soup made in the following manner, is a 
favorite with us : 

Procure a round steak, never mind if it is tough, 
it will make a good soup. Allow one pound of meat 
to each quart of soup required, the rule given being for 
that quantity. 

Broil the meat over a very hot fire a little, it should 
be well browned on both sides, and cut it in small 
pieces. ^ Put it in a stew-pan with a quart of 
cold water and a tablespoonful of rice. Cover and 
cook slowly for an hour ; then add an onion, one 
small carrot chopped fine, and one potato sliced and 
cut in small pieces. Add salt to taste, cover and cook 
for three-quarters of an hour. We sometimes omit 
the vegetables, and fifteen minutes before serving add 
three or four stalks of celery, cut fine. Serve in either 
case without straining. 

For a fish soup, which is very nice, put one quart 
of water in a stew-pan with two or three good sized 
potatoes, sliced, a tablespoonful of butter, and a pound 



lo Dining Room Notes. 

and a half of cod, or haddock, washed, and cut in 
pieces. Cover and cook gently half an hour. Re- 
move the fish and cut in small pieces, or break it in- 
to flakes, taking out all the bones. Return it to the 
soup, add a pint of hot milk, and salt to taste, and if 
not sufficiently thickened by the potatoes, add a table- 
spoonful of flour, mixed with a little cold water. Let 
it just boil up and serve immediately. 

A very nice soup is made from the bones of roast 
chicken or turkey. Remove the greater part of the 
stufling, if any remains, as it gives too much flavor of 
sage and pepper, and put the bones and pieces into a 
kettle or stew-pan with water in proportion of two 
quarts to a turkey, one quart for a chicken or fowl. 
Add a tablespoonful of rice for each quart of water. 
Cover and cook slowly for an hour. Then add one 
onion if liked, two potatoes cut fine, and salt to taste. 
Let it cook[slowly for another hour, then add, if you 
have it, a few stalks or the tops of a bunch of celery, 
and cook fifteen minutes. Strain into a warmed tu- 
reen and serve immediately. 



Fish. 



Baked Fish. — Most fish are very nice baked, es- 
pecially blue-fish. The fish should be thoroughly 
cleaned and washed, and rubbed with salt. Fill with 
a stuflSng made precisely as it is prepared for roast 
turkey or chicken, sew up ; warm a little butter just 
enough to soften it, and rub over the fish, sprinkle 
with salt and place it on a wire stand in a dripping 
pan. Bake in a quick oven, allowing about twenty 
minutes to each pound, dredge with flour when it be- 
gins to brown, and baste with butter. 

Thin slices of salt fat pork may be used instead of but- 
ter, three or four slices being laid over the fish when 
put into the oven. This rule may he followed for 
any kind of fish. The fish may be baked without 
stuffing if preferred, spreading the inside of the fish 
with butter, or two or three very thin slices of salt 
pork may be laid inside the fish if preferred. 

All fish require to be slowly cooked, and should 
also be very fresh, many kinds losing their fine flavor 
after they have been twenty-four hours out of the 
water. 

Fried Fish.— The fish, if large, should be cut in 
convenient pieces, dipped into sifted corn meal, and 
fried not too quickly in plenty of nice pork drippings 
or oil. Clarified butter — that is, butter which is melted 



12 Dining Room Notes. 

and allowed to boil two or three minutes, strained 
through a thin cloth or flannel and cooled — is very 
nice to use for delicate fish, like trout, pickerel, etc. 
Fish fried in this butter will not need the addition of 
meal, and will brown beautifully. Sword fish and 
mackerel do not need so much fat as other fish, the 
former should be cooked thoroughly — it requires 
longer cooking than most kinds, and neither needs 
the addition of corn meal, so necessary to cod and 
haddock. Any kind of fish usually fried, may be 
deliciously cooked in a quick oven. Butter a fry- 
ing pan, put in the fish, sprinkle with salt and put 
bits of butter over it. Bake until nicely browned. 
It does not need to be turned. 

Boiled Fish. — Salmon, halibut, and cod are all 
very nice boiled. The fish should be rolled in a thin 
cloth and put into a fish kettle, with sufiicient boiling 
water to cover. Boil very gently twenty minutes to 
the pound for salmon and halibut, and fifteen for cod 
and other delicate fish. Fish may be steamed instead 
of boiling, rubbing well with salt before putting it 
into the steamer. All boiled fish should be served 
with drawn butter with or without the addition of 
boiled eggs. A nice sauce for boiled fish is made 
as follows : Scald a cupful of milk and thicken with 
a tablespoonful of flour, mixed with just enough 
milk to make a smooth paste. Salt well, add a gen- 
erous teaspoonful of butter, stir till smooth, remove 
from the fire, add a little white pepper, and half a 
cup of whipped cream. Beat well together and 
pour over the fish. Serve immediately. The sauce 
should be made and the cream whipped before the 



Fish. 13 

fish is put into the kettle, but do not add the cream 
until the fish is dished. Chopped or sliced capers 
may be added to the sauce, or sliced nasturtium seeds 
and parsley laid about the plate, but none of these 
flavors are necessary. 

Cold fresh fish is nice picked up with less gravy 
than is used with salt, or it may be cut fine, put a 
layer of bread or cracker crumbs in a small dish, with 
bits of butter over it, put in the fish and cover with 
crumbs. Pour in carefully half a cup of salted milk. 
Put bits of butter over the top and brown nicely in a 
quick oven. 

We make croquettes sometimes, by chopping fine 
the pieces of cold fresh fish, and to a cupful add a 
tablespoonful of milk, a well beaten Q%%^ a cracker 
rolled fine, and salt and pepper to season nicely. 
Fry in butter, a small tablespoonful in each cake, 
browning nicely. 

Another nice way is to boil five or six potatoes, 
mash them and season as for the table with milk, salt 
and butter, making it, however, a little more moist. 
Then add a beaten &^%^ and put half into a buttered 
baking dish or tin basin, put in the fish and cover 
with the remainder of the potato. Put in a quick oven 
till nicely browned. While the potatoes are boiling 
I prepare the fish by cutting it fine, and putting it in 
a basin with a little butter, and just enough milk to 
soften it, salt to taste, add a little pepper if liked, and 
place where it will keep warm till wanted. Salt fish 
if soaked well, may be used in the same manner, and 
is nice. 

These dishes are by no means confined to fish. 



14 Dining Room Notes. 

Cold meat or chicken may be used in most of them, 
and they are all nice. In fact some of our picked up 
dinners are really nicer than more elaborate ones, and 
there is nothing more satisfactory, especially to the 
young house-keeper, than to make a palatable dish 
from the pieces which gave anything but an encour- 
aging promise of a nice dinner in the beginning, and 
really, it is surprising sometimes to see the satisfac- 
tory results from very simple and scant material. 

Cream Fish. — This is a very nice vv^ay of cook- 
ing fish. Cod or halibut is best, but any kind may 
be used. Remove the skin, and cut the fish in small 
pieces, as you would cut the salt for picked up fish. 
For two pounds of fish allow a quart of milk, three 
eggs, a tablespoonful of flour, and butter the size of 
an ^%%. Put about a third of the fish in the baking 
dish, cut the butter into bits and put a third over it, 
also sprinkle on about a fthird of the flour, put in 
another layer of fish, flour and butter, and the rest of 
the fish, with the flour and butter on top. Beat the 
eggs and add to the milk, salt it well and pour it in- 
to the dish. Let it stand for a few minutes and put 
into a quick oven for half an hour. If, when it be- 
gins to cook the fish settles much, stir it gently 
once. 

Chowder, — Halibut makes a very nice chowder. 
Procure a thick slice, remove the skin and cut it in 
squares about two inches across. Two pounds will 
be sufficient for a family of four or five. Slice six me- 
dium sized potatoes ; *put a heaping tablespoonful of 
butter into a stew pan, put in the potatoes, add cold 
water to cover them, a little salt, and cover 



Fish. 



IS 



closely. Boil fifteen minutes, lay in the fish and 
cover with split crackers. Boil gently fifteen 
minutes. Heat a pint of milk boiling hot and 
pour in ; mix a heaping tablespoonful of flour 
smooth with a little cold milk, and pour in around 
the sides ; lift the stew pan or kettle and shake 
it well to mix the thickening, it is better than to stir 
it. Return to the fire and let it boil up once and pour 
into a warm tureen. We make any fish chowder in 
this way, never using pork, and I never tasted nicer 
chowders. Most people use onions in a chowder. 
Those who like may add them at pleasure, but we 
prefer them without. 

Baked Halibut — Is a favorite dish with many 
people, and one that is very easily prepared. Take a 
slice about two inches thick and weighing from two 
to five pounds, according to amount required, wipe 
with a wet towel, then dry, rub with salt an.d place it 
on a grate in a small dripping pan. Warm a little 
butter, just enough to soften, and spread over it, and 
put it in a quick oven. When it begins to brown, 
dredge with flour or powdered cracker, and when 
brown, turn and butter and flour the other side. 
Cook about twenty minutes to each pound. 

Oyster Stew. — To one quart of oysters allow one 
quart of milk, one tablespoonful of butter, one scant 
tablespoonful of flour and one half teaspoonful of salt. 
Put the milk in a double boiler, or, in a dish placed 
in a kettle of hot water, and when it is scalding hot 
stir in the flour already mixed to a smooth paste with 
a little cold water or milk. Stir till it thickens. Put 
the oysters with their liquor into a saucepan, and let 



1 6 Dining Room Notes. 

them heat gradually and boil up once. Pour them 
into a warm tureen, with the milk, boiling hot, add 
the salt and butter, stir well, and serve as quickly 
as possible. This may seem a little more trouble 
than the usual manner of cooking them in the milk, 
but one trial will prove its superiority to any other 
recipe. 

Oysters are often stewed with water instead of 
milk, thickening and seasoning in the same manner, 
but the oysters need not be cooked separately. The 
salt should never be added while the oysters are be- 
ing cooked ; it toughens and hardens them. Some 
oysters require more salt than others ; the amount 
given not being sufficient for the fresher varieties. 

Scalloped Oysters. — To one quart of oysters, 
allow a scant pint of stale bread crumbs, dried and 
rolled fine, (Cracker crumbs might be used, but are 
not so good and about a third less should be used) 
and two tablespoonfuls of nice butter. 

Drain the oysters and strain the liquor into a cup 
which will hold half a pint. Fill up the cup with 
milk or water, add to it one half teaspoonful of salt. 

Butter a baking dish and put in a thin layer of 
bread crumbs, then a layer of oysters with bits of but- 
ter over them, and continue adding alternate layers of 
crumbs and oysters, buttering each layer of the oys- 
ters until they are all used, having a thin layer of the 
crumbs on top. 

Pour over it carefully the cupful of liquid, put bits 
of butter, which should be reserved from the given 
quantity, over the crumbs. Dredge lightly with flour 
and bake in a quick oven for half an hour, or a little 



Fish. 17 

longer if not nicely browned. If spice is liked in the 
seasoning, add one or two drops, not more, of extract 
of clove or mace to the cupful of liquid. This is 
preferable to the ground spice which should be used 
very sparingly, if one has not the extracts. 

Pepper, either white or cayenne, jnay be added, 
dusting a little over each hiyer of oysters. When 
nearly baked, if too dry, put a little salt and butter 
into two or three tablespooufuls of boiling water, and 
pour gently in at the sides of the dish. It is some- 
times necessary, if the bread is not sufficiently dry. 

Fried Oysters. — For a pint of large oysters, beat 
two eggs to a froth, (whites first, then add the yolks), 
and stir in six tablespoonfuls of flour, with a scant 
teaspoonful of baking powder or one half teaspoonful 
of cream of tartar, and one-fourth teaspoonful of 
salt, and stir well. Have the frying pan hot, a little 
nice pork drippings and butter mixed to fry them in, 
and drop the batter in little cakes, a teaspoonful in each. 
Lay an oyster on the top of each and cover with bat- 
ter, putting a little less than the under cake. Turn 
carefully, browning nicely on each side, and serve 
immediately. 

Oyster Pie. — For the crust mix four cupfuls of 
flour to as stiff a paste as possible with very cold water, 
using a knife to mix it. Put it out on a moulding- 
board, roll into shape and roll out. vSpread over it 
half a cup of butter, dust with flour, and fold togeth- 
er over and over. Roll out again, and spread on. 
another half cupful of butter, dust with flour and fold. 
Roll out again, and spread on more butter, one fourtb 
of a cupful this time, dust with flour and roll up. If pos- 



i8 Dining Room Notes. 

sible, put away in a cool place till the next day. Half 
lard, or, better still, nice beef dripping may be used. 
This makes a nice crust for tarts, also. 

This amount of crust is sufficient for three pints of 
oysters, which will make a large pie. Roll out a little 
more than half the crust to fit a shallow pudding pan 
and bring it well up at the sides. Have the oysters 
drained from the liquor, and put in a layer, using a 
third of the oysters. Dust with flour, about a table- 
spoonful, sprinkle with salt and a very little pepper, 
put bits of butter over, and add another layer of the 
oysters, adding flour, etc., as before, then the rest of 
the oysters, flour, pepper and salt, using a little more 
butter for the top layer ; a generous tablespoonful 
will be sufficient for the whole. If there is not a tea- 
cupful of the liquor, add sufficient water to make that 
amount, and put half of it over the pie, gently, to not 
wash off' the seasoning. Cover with the remainder 
of the crust, cutting a hole in the center, and bake in 
a moderate oven. When nearly done pour in the re- 
mainder of the liquor. When well browned the pie 
is done, as the oysters will cook quickly. A pint of 
oysters and half the quantity of crust makes a good 
pie, and is sufficient for a small family. 

If gravy is liked, and with oyster pies it is very 
nice, substitute a cupful of milk for the oyster liquor 
to pour over the pie. Put the liquor in a saucepan 
with a cupful of water, add salt to taste ; mix a heap- 
ing tablespoonful of flour with a little water and stir in, 
stiring constantly until it thickens, add a tablespoon- 
ful of butter and a very little pepper, and send to the 
table very hot. 

There are many ways of preparing the salt codfish 



Fish. 19 

which are nice, and a welcome change from the 
plain boiled, or the fish balls, so generally used, 
though the plain boiled fish makes a nice dinner 
when properly prepared. The fish should be very 
white and thick. Cut a piece weighing two or three 
pounds from the thick part. Strip off* the skin and put 
the fish in cold water for two or three hours. Then 
put it in a kettle with three or four quarts of cold water. 
It is well to use a wire stand so that the fish will 
not touch the kettle. When the water is hot if it is 
too salt, dip it out and fill up with cold. Heat grad- 
ually and simmer about half an hour. 

Prepare a nice drawn butter by mixing half a cup- 
ful of butter in a warm dish, which can be placed on 
the stove, with two tablespoonfuls of flour. When 
well mixed pour in a scant pint of boiling water 
slowly, stirring all the time. Let it stand two or three 
mmutes where it will simmer. 

Boiled potatoes and beets should always be served 
with boiled fish. 

What is left may be hashed for breakfast, with the 
potatoes and a little of the beet. Season nicely. 
Moisten with a little of the drawn butter, if any was 
left, or milk or water, and an ^^^ well beaten. Heat 
gem pans hot, butter them and fill with the hash, and 
put them in a very hot oven for ten or fifteen minutes 
-or until nicely browned. The cakes brown nicely if 
a little rolled cracker and bits of butter are put on top. 
They should turn out without breaking, be well 
browned, and make a nice looking as well as a palat- 
able breakfast dish. 

There are several ways of preparing the " picked 
up" fish, which we like occasionally. Soak a nice 



20 Dining Room Notes. 

piece of fish, perhaps a pound, over night or through 
the morning. Remove all the bones, pick into 
small pieces and put into a small frying pan with 
water to make sufficient gravy, perhaps a pint. Stir 
two even tablespoonfuls of flour to a smooth paste 
with a little cold water, and stir into the fish. Have 
three or four eggs boiled hard. Let them cool, peel 
and slice them with a sharp knife, and stir gently in- 
to the fish with a tablespoonful of butter. Let it just 
come to a boil and turn out. When cream is scarce 
we prefer this to any other way of preparing. Some- 
times, when prepared plain with milk, after it is 
thickened and seasoned, we break in eggs, (say one 
for each person), let them just cook through, take out 
carefully and place in a warm platter and pour the 
fish over. When prepared with' cream, soak and pick 
up the fish, and put in a stew pan with cream to 
make sufficient gravy. Let it just come to a boil and 
stir in a little flour mixed smooth with milk. Serve 
as soon as possible. It is very nice with half milk if 
cream is not plenty, using a little more flour to thick- 
en with. If I have to use all milk I use very little 
flour, and just before taking from the fire, add two or 
three eggs well beaten. 

In making fish balls I always use cold potatoes, and 
chop them very fine. The usual method of mashing- 
hot potatoes gives them a tendency to the stickiness 
which spoils fish balls for me. Allow one third of 
fish chopped fine to two-thirds of potato, three table- 
spoonfuls of cream, or two of milk and one of butter,, 
and one ^%%-, well beaten, to three cupfuls of fish and 
potato. Two or three hard boiled eggs chopped 
fine, is a great improvement. Make into small cakes,, 



Fish. Ti 

dip into rolled cracker, or better still crude gluten, 
and fry a nice brown on both sides, in plenty of fat, 
they will not be so apt to be greasy as if a little is 
used. I like butter to fry them in, in which case only 
a little is necessary, just enough to keep them from 
sticking. 

We sometimes soak a nice piece of fish for several 
hours, dry with a soft cloth, and broil over a clear fire ; 
spread with butter or pour thick cream over it and 
serve. This is a nice way to cook smoked salmon or 
halibut. 



B 



Poultry. 



To Roast a Turkey. — Of course it is understood 
that the turkey should be a very ^ood one to begin 
with, voung, phimp, as freshly killed as possible, and 
thoroughly picked and cleaned. Wash it in two or 
three warm waters, then rinse in cold, until the water 
is perfectly clear, and wipe it inside and out, with a 
soft towel. Put it in a dry. cold place, and proceed 
to prepare the stuffing. 

Chop bread, either fresh or stale, the latter is the 
best, removing hard or brown crusts. Allow a quart 
of the crumbs for a. turkey of six or seven pounds, 
and more in proportion for the larger ones. Put the 
crumbs in a large bowl, and pour over them just 
<enouo>;h water to soften them. Cover, and let it stand 
%vhcrc it will keep warm, while you gather together 
the necessary ingredients to make the stuffing. 

Put a small handful of sage leaves — if you are for- 
tunate enough to have them — on a plate and place 
it in a moderately hot oven, leaving the door open. 
If you have not the freshly dried leaves, procure the 
pressed sage of an apothecary. Don't use the pow- 
dered sage sold in boxes, which gives any flavor save 
that of sage. The sage we have left in the oven 
must on no account be allowed to heat, except just 
enough to make the leaves dry. When they will 



Poultry. 23 

break easily, remove from the oven, rub them to a 
pow^der, and sift. It is a good plan to dry and sift a 
quantity, keeping it in a closely corked bottle or fruit 
jar ready for use. It will be found very convenient. 

If onion is liked, chop a small one, or half a medi- 
um sized one, very fine. 

Drain the moistened crumbs as dry as possible, stir 
in a tablespoonful of butter, the chopped onion, and 
sufficient salt, pepper, and sifted sage, to season well. 
It must be rather highly seasoned than otherwise, as 
the seasoning "cooks out" or is absorbed by the 
turkey to a great extent. Then add an egg well 
beaten, and stir till thoroughly mixed. Other flavor- 
ings are sometimes used, mace, and any variety of 
sweet herbs liked, thyme, sweet marjoram, and sum- 
mer savory, but nothing is quite so nice, we think, as 
the old-fashioned sage, unless one uses a little chopped 
celery, which we prefer to the onion. 

Now rub the inside of the turkey with salt, (a tea- 
spoonful is sufiicient for a turkey under ten pounds in 
weight,) and proceed to fill with the stufling. Begin 
at the neck, which should be cut close, turningf the 
skin back that it may be drawn over and tied closely 
ai the it\\(!i after the stutEng is put in. Then stuff' the 
body full, and sew up with a darning needle threaded 
with strong thread or twine. Tie the legs down at 
the side, and put it where it will keep cool and drv 
until morning. 

A turkey should always be made ready for the 
oven the day before it is to be cooked. In this way 
ii is well seasoned thoughout, and what can be more 
satisfactory to the presiding genius of a house, 
especially if she has had little or no experience in 



24 



Difiirip' Room Notes. 



such things, than to know when she begins her work 
next morning, and such a busy morning, that the tur- 
key is ready for the oven. 

Now, as to the baking. Rub the turkey with salt, 
and place it on a grate in a large dripping pan, pour 
half a pint of boiling water into the pan, not over 
the turkey, and put it in the oven which should be at 
a very moderate heat at first. Indeed, during the 
first hour, the turkey should not brown, but have 
more the appearance of being steamed. After it be- 
gins to brown, baste at intervals of half an hour, 
perhaps, with its own drippings if the turkey is fat, 
if not, use a little butter, and dredge lightly with 
flour. When well browned on one side, it should be 
carefully turned, which will be much more easily done 
if the pan is removed from the oven. At no time 
should the oven be very hot, as even a small turkey 
of six or seven pounds should cook for four hours. 
Larger ones may not need quite so much time in pro- 
portion, yet half an hour to a pound is a good rule to 
follow, underdone poultry of any kind being both 
unpalatable and unwholesome, and the difference in 
flavor between a turkey — or chicken — which is 
cooked slowlv, and that of one which is baked as one 
would cook a piece of beef, is convincing proof as to 
the excellence of the former method. 

The giblets should be put in the pan with the tur- 
key, and when well done, (they require fully two 
hours' cooking,) chop them fine and place where 
they will keep warm. 

If any of the stuffing is left, roll it in little balls, 
and put them in the pan about an hour before dinner 
time. 

When the turkey is done, remove it to a large plate. 



Poultry. 25 

(a warmed one,) take out all the strings with which 
it was sewed and tied, and place where it will keep 
warm. Then with a large spoon dip all the fat from 
the pan, and place the pan with the remaining gravy, 
stuffing, etc., on the stove where it will heat quickly, 
add the chopped giblets and sufficient boiling water 
to make about a pint of gravy, dredge in a table- 
spoonful of flour, stir rapidly till it boils and pour in- 
to a warmed gravy tureen. Remove the stuffing 
from the body of the turkey, and put it in a covered 
dish, putting the turkey on a warm platter ready for 
the table. 

Mashed potatoes, baked or steamed sweet potatoes, 
(the former are much the best,) celery, squash and 
cranberry sauce are the usual accompaniments. 

Chickens should be prepared and baked in the 
same manner. Very young chickens, of course, will 
not need such long cooking. When one lives in the 
countrv and raises her own turkeys and chickens, she 
can vary the time of cooking according to the age, 
but when one is dependent upon the markets, it is 
best to be on the safe side, and allow plenty of time. 
If it is found to be done too early, remove the fowl 
from the oven, keeping it warm, and replacing it tor 
a half hour beiore dinner. It will not be injured in 
the least by so doing. Of course this method can be 
followed with nothing but poultry ; meats would lose 
their nice flavor. 

Ducks are prepared and roasted in the same man- 
ner, although they do not require so much time in 
which to cook, an hour and a half being sufficient 
untess the ducks are unusually large. If fat, the fla- 
vor is improved by washing the fowl in soda water. 



26 Di7ihig Room Notes. 

A tablespoonful of soda in two quarts of water is 
sufficient. Rinse well and wipe before stuffino-. or 
cutting for stewing, a favorite method for serving 
duck, following recipe for stewed or fricasseed 
chicken. 

Roast goose is a favorite dinner with many. None 
but a young goose is worth cooking, and when nicely 
cleaned and washed, it should be washed in soda 
water. (A tahlespoonful of soda in two quarts of 
water.) It extracts the strong, oily flavor wdiich 
is very disagreeable. Rinse, wipe dry and stuff' 
the same as turkey. It will require about three 
hours to bake. A small onion should be chopped 
fine and mixed with the stuffing. It is also general- 
ly used in the stuffing for duck. Currant I'ellv is 
considered the best to serve with goose or duck. 

Fricasseed Chicken. — Cut up two nice chick 
ens, after they have been properly drawn and 
singed, wash thoroughly, and put them in a kettle 
with sufficient cold water to cover ; before it boils 
skim, if necessary, salt to taste, and if it is a real 
chicken, boil for an hour, then pour off' all the broth, 
put a tahlespoonful of butter into the kettle, and let 
the chicken brown, turning the pieces so thev mav 
not scorch, pour back the broth, cover closelv, and 
cook fifteen minutes ; mix two tablespoonfuls of flour 
smooth in half a cup of water, and stir in. There 
should be at least a pint of broth ; if not so much, 
add water enough to make the desired quantit\. 
Shake the kettle several times that the gravy mav 
not stick, and pour out, serving as quickly as possi- 
ble. The time given is for a chicken ; if one is un- 



Poultry. 2^ 

certain as to the aj^e, as is always the case if the 
chicken comes from a market, put it on to cook sufH- 
ciently early so that it may boil till tender before 
pouring off the broth. If done too early, it will do 
no harm to stand until time to brown. A white 
fricassee can be made in the same way, omitting the 
browning process, and mixing the flour with milk. 
Adding half a cup of cream improves it. 

An old-fashioned chicken stew is very nice when 
the " chicken " is of uncertain age and tenderness. 
Wash and joint as above, and put it in a kettle or 
stewpan with a quart or three pints of water, add a 
teaspoonful of salt, and let it cook slowly for an hour 
and a half or two hours. Have six or eight medium 
sized potatoes washed and sliced and put with the 
chicken, adding more water if not enough to cover 
the potatoes. Cover, and cook twenty minutes, then 
put a crust or dumplings over the top, (recipe for 
which will be found farther on,) cover closely and 
cook twenty minutes longer. Remove the crust to a 
w^^rmed platter, have mixed a heaping tablespoonful 
of flour with a little milk or water, and stir it in 
gently, not to break the potatoes, add a tablespoonful 
of butter and pour all on the platter with the crust, 
or serve the latter from a separate plate as preferred. 

Before adding the thickening to the gravy, ascertain 
whether it requires more salt ; if so, stir a little into 
the flour and water. 

Chicken Pie. — Joint three plump, tender chickens 
and boil them slowly in just enough water to cover, 
salted to taste. When tender, which they will prob- 
ably be in an hour, take out on a platter, and cut the 



28 Dining Room Notes. 

meat in as large slices as you can from the breasts 
and legs. Some do not cut the latter, but I dislike 
such large bones in a pie. Take out the back and rib 
pieces and necks ; they can be used in various ways, 
and would spoil the pie. 

For the crust, mix a heaping cupful of butter with 
five cupfuls of flour, sift in a teaspoonful of baking 
powder, or one-fourth teaspoonful of soda and half 
a teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and stir it in thor- 
oughlv. Make a very stiff dough with very cold 
water, mixing with a knife, and adding the water a 
little at a time, so it may not get too soft ; it must not 
be a smooth paste by any means. Turn it out on a 
floured moulding board and work it as little as possi- 
ble, just so it will hold together. Divide, and roll out 
one piece large enough to cover the bottom of a three 
quart pudding dish, (not a deep pudding pan,) or tin 
basin, and come up at the sides. The pan should be 
well buttered, and a little flour dusted over it before 
puttmg in the crust. Then fill in the chicken, white 
and dark meat alternately, as evenly as you can. 

Heat a pint of the broth, thicken with two table- 
spoonfuls of flour mixed with a little cold water, sea- 
son well with a little salt, pepper and butter, and 
pour over the chicken. Put little pieces of butter 
over the top, roll out the upper crust, cut a slit across 
the center and cover over the pie, pressing down 
closely at the edges. Put it in a rather moderate 
oven ; it should not brown much the first half hour, 
and bake an hour and a half if in an earthen dish, 
an hour and a quarter being sufficient if it is baked 
in tin. 

The remainder of the broth may be thickened and 



Poultry. 29 

seasoned for gravy to serve with the pie, if Hked, 
though the pie should not be dry enough to make a 
gravy necessary, yet many people think it an im- 
provement. 

The chicken may be boiled the day before it is 
needed, and is often a convenience, saving a great 
deal of time in the morning. The pieces left out 
make manv delicious dishes. 



Do not think I nm s^oing to (lelu^"e \ ou with a lonj^ 
essay on maiketino;-. I never vet read one which 
paid me for doins^ so, and shall not inflict such upon 
my readers, but devote a little space to directions for 
cooking the different kinds of meat, as much depends 
upon the time necessnrv for proper roasting, boiling 
and stewing. 

Of beef, the sirloin, rib and rump pieces are used 
for roasting. For steaks we prefer the sirloin, called 
" porter house " in Ne\\' York. Manv people object 
to sirloin roasts and steaks as being more expensive 
than other kinds, but we do not find them so. as a 
series of dinners follows the first appearance of the 
sirloin, which, in the end. makes a deHciou'- soup. 

Rib roasts are used in the same manner at our 
house. The rump pieces have little or no bone, and 
are preferred by many people on that account. 
Rump steak is also nice. For stews, pies, etc., the 
round and shoulder pieces are best, and if one is near 
a large city market there is no steak with a finer fla- 
vor than the ''top" round. The tenderloin is con- 
sidered by some the choicest cut, but it is inferior in 
nourishment to almost any other. 

Of mutton or lamb the leg and loin are the best, 
the shoulder being a favorite part with many people, 



Meats. 3 1 

although there is sufficient waste to make up for its 
lower price. The loin has a great deal of fat, but is 
very nice for chops or a roast, but the leg. either 
roasted or boiled, is the most economical, being like 
the sirloin or rib of beef, capable of being made into 
several savory dishes. If a shoulder of mutton is 
bought, it should be boned before being brought 
from the market. It is very good stuffed and baked, 
and can be easily carved, but if not boned, cannot be 
stuffed, and is very difficult to cut. 

In roasting beef, fifteen minutes to the pound will 
be a good rule for those who like it rare : eighteen or 
twenty will make it well done. The oven should be 
very hot when the beef is first put in, and neither water 
or salt should be added. The secret of juicy roast 
beef, is in having no steain to prevent it from crisping 
over as quickly as possible. When well browned, 
and at least half done, it mav be well salted, and the 
heat a little less intense. Mutton needs a slow oven 
at first, and unless one likes it rare it should bake 
from twenty-five to thirty minutes to the pound, a 
little water put in the pan, and the meat well salted. 
Pork and veal require a slow oven at first, and should 
be well done, half an hour to the pound being a 
good rule. Veal cutlets are fried slowly until well 
done ; they must be white all through when cut. 
Drain them, salt on both sides, dip into beaten eggs, 
then in rolled cracker, and brown nicely on both 
sides. Pour oft^ the fai from the frying pan, pour in 
a little boiling water, dredge in flour enough to 
thicken, stirring rapidly, season if not salt enough, 
and pour over the cutlets. 

Stewed tomatoes should always be served with 



32 Dining Room Notes. 

veal cutlets, if possible, and are sometimes poured 
over them instead of the gravy. Cranberry or apple 
sauce is served wdth roast pork, currant jelly with 
veal, and either currant or cranberry with beef. 
Celery is used with all meats and poultry and is one 
of our most healthful vegetables. Squash is nice 
with beef or veal, turnip with pork, while corn, peas 
and beans, in their season, or canned, can be used at 
any time. Sweet potatoes are nice with all kinds of 
fresh meats. They should always be baked or 
steamed. Stewed parsnips are especially nice with 
roast meats. 

Mutton chops arc far nicer broiled than cooked in 
a frying pan. Pork and veal steaks cannot be easily 
broiled, as they require so much cooking ; the length 
of time which would suffice for a beef steak being 
scarcely enough to heat them through. Underdone 
pork or veal is very unwholesome, and causes much 
of the trouble imputed to the irieats. 

Macaroni and plain boiled rice are often served 
with meats, and are especially nice with roast beef. 

Sausages and ham we put into the frying pan, and 
when hot, place in the oven to finish cooking. We 
think this a great improvement on frying, besides 
saving all the smoke. The o\q\\ should not be too 
hot, as either requires to be slowly cooked. 



How to Use the Pieces. 



WHEN I say that the average American house- 
keeper is considered the most extravagant in 
the w^orld, I hope I may not be misunderstood. I do 
not mean that we are so purposely or heedlessly. 
We all have our pet extravagances to which, I think, 
we are fullv entitled, but everv one finds a " leak '" 
somewhere ; there being a quantity in excess of the 
demand which we don't know what to do with, the 
making up of little dishes from the odds and ends 
never having been sufficiently considered in this 
country up to the present time. Now, however, the 
example of the wealthier English and French house- 
holds is being followed to some extent by manv 
anxious to make a change in the right direction. If 
a work on " Domestic Economy" could be published, 
giving us a practical solution of the difficult problem, 
"What can we do with the pieces?" it would be of 
inestimable value to the multitude. 

Almost everv housekeeper has the desire to be as 
economical as possible in her household affairs, and 
has felt the ofeneral discomfort attending the seeminsflv 
useless accumulation of different articles of food, the 
quantity of dry slices of bread, the dish of cold pota- 
toes, the pieces of meat, all too good to throw avvav 



34 niuDig Room Notes. 

and a nuisance to keep, probably to throw away at 
last with the wish that it had been done at first. 
Some of you say, " But my husband won't eat 
'• messes,' he likes a fresh roast every day/' If he 
never complains of the bills, it is all well enough to 
have it so, but there are few families in which the 
practice of a reasonable amount of economy is not 
necessary. 

My experience has taught me that " picked up 
dinners " form a not unimportant part of most house- 
holds. Not of the "fifteen-cent dinner" type; I 
have not the slightest patience with that folly or its 
followers, but dinners which put yesterday's or day 
before yesterday's roasts and boils upon the table 
with such a seductive appearance of being something 
entirely new, and not the plateful of scraps which it 
rcall} is, that there is really more satisfaction, many a 
time, than at the first day's dinner. Indeed, it is al- 
most or quite impossible for a small family to sit 
dow n to a fresh dinner every day, without a waste 
which could only be tolerated in the wealthiest house- 
holds ; and, let me whisper it, the greatest waste is 
selciom found there. It is in the family where the 
\()i;iig wile without any experience in her old 
home in such matters, wants to have things as nice as 
her neighbors, and does not know how to do any 
thing with } esterday's nice roast of beef but to make 
hash ot it, and she iiates hash. So does her husband, 
because it doesn't taste like " mother's." Of course 
it doesn't. It hasn't the nice seasoning, the fine chop- 
ping, the just enough of this and that which years of 
practice and persc\ crance put into "mother's." Per- 
haps hers was not iii.ijii Intter when she commenced. 



How to Use the Pieces. 

or she may have had a pecuhar talent for making 
good things. 

A very nice stew from cold roast beef is made as 
follows : 

Cut a sufficient amount, in good sized slices if pos- 
sible, and put into a stew pan with water to cover. 
Slice two or three onions, three carrots and six or eight 
potatoes, and add to the meat ; if there is not suffi- 
cient water to cover all, add more, stir in a teaspoon- 
ful of salt and cover closely. Boil or simmer gently 
for three-quarters of an hour, taking care that the 
water does not boil out. Then mix a teaspoonful of 
butter with two of flour and stir gently ; shaking the 
stew pan or kettle is sometimes a surer way to pre- 
vent breaking the potatoes. Add more salt if neces- 
sary and pour out on a warmed platter. A medium 
sized bunch of celery cut in small pieces is a favorite 
addition to this stew, and one which many would pre- 
fer to the onion, or both \\.<\\ be used at the same 
time. 

These stews are favorites with us, and we tiiink 
any who try it will think the flavoi- improved bv 

making it from roast beef. The remainder of tlie 
meat may be used in many ways, chopped and 
heated in a stew pan with cream, or milk and butter 
to soften, but not enough for a gravy, seasoning with 
salt and pepper — white pepper is much the best — 
and a little celery seed or clove if liked, and serving 
on slices of hot, crisp toast. Or, it may be prepared 
in this manner : 

Put a generous teaspoonful of butter and a cupful 
o^ water in a stew pan or frying pan, chop one small 
onion fine and stir in, add one-half teaspoonful of 



36 Dining Room Notes. 

salt and let it cook for ten minutes. Then add the 
chopped meat, about two teacupfuls to one onion and 
the cupful of water. Stir w^ell, cover, and simmer 
for fifteen or twenty minutes. Served with baked, or 
steamed and mashed potatoes this makes a '■ picked 
up" dinner which most people will like, Haifa tea- 
cupful of canned tomatoes, leaving out half the wa- 
ter, makes this hash verv nice : the onion may be 
omitted if preferred. 

One of our favorite methods of using cold meats 
is a meat shortcake. Make a crust like biscuit, per- 
haps using a little more butter, divide in halves, and 
roll about half an inch thick, put it in a biscuit pan, 
spread . with butter, roll out the other half and lay 
over it. Bake in a hot oven. Have the meat 
chopped, but not very fine, or, if it is very tender, 
cut in thin slices, put it in a stew pan with some cold 
gravy, if you have it, if not, use sufficient milk or 
water, season well with butter and salt, and thicken 
with a little flour. Simmer until ready for use. Put 
the meat on to heat before making the cake, and 
when it is done, split the cake, lay the under half on 
a warmed platter, pour in the meat and gravy, put on 
the top crust and send to the table immediately. 

Cold chicken, turkey, or veal, is very nice, and a 
smaller quantity than one could possibly serve in 
anv other way excepting as an omelet, will make a 
nice shortcake. Sometimes instead of a shortcake 
we make meat dumplings. Put the pieces of cold 
meat or fowl into a stew pan with water to cover 
them, and let them cook slowly, perhaps half an hour, 
then take out the meat and chop fine, putting 
the pan back on the stove where the broth will 



How to Use the Pieces. 't>7 

keep hot. Season the chopped meat with butter, 
pepper and salt, and moisten with milk or a little of 
the broth. Make a biscuit dough, cut into as many 
pieces as you wish dumplings, roll each about a quar- 
ter of an inch thick and as large over as a pint bowl ; 
put a small tablespoonful of the meat in the center, 
gather up the edges of the dough and pinch together 
closely, and put smooth side up on a buttered plate 
which will fit into your steamer. Place the dump- 
lings very close together, and steam twenty minutes, 
being careful not to lift the cover or let the water 
boil out while they are cooking. Put a little cold 
gravy, if you have it, with the broth in the sauce pan, 
if not, add milk or water to make the desired quan- 
tity of gravy, season with butter and salt, thicken 
with a little flour mixed smooth with a little milk or 
water, cook a few minutes, and turn into a warin 
gravy dish. The dumplings should be steamed on a, 
dish which will l^o presentable at table, as they should 
not be disturbed unt.l ready to serve, and should be 
served as soon as possible after they are done. 

The following is an excellent way in which to dis- 
pose of pieces of cold roast pork. Chop very fine, 
and if vou have a little piece of cold roast beef or 
beefsteak to chop with it. it improves it. Season witb 
salt, pepper and sage ; moisten with a little milk or 
hot water, make into little cakes like fishballs, dust 
with flour, and fry a nice brown on both sides in lard 
or beef drippings. 

The other day we had a fricasseed chicken for din- 
ner, and, of course, had a little left. Not enough to 
warm over to make a nice dish by itself, but one of 
those provoking little messes that will accumulate to 

C 



^8 Dining Roo7n Notes. 

the horror of every housekeeper. So I made a pie 
in this manner, and it ^vas very nice : Sift a tea- 
spoonful of cream of tartar into a pint of flour, and 
then w^ork in a heaping tablespoonful of butter. Add 
three-quarters of a cup of milk in which half a tea- 
spoonful of soda and a pinch of salt have been dis- 
solved. Mix as quickly as possible, divide, and roll 
nearly half an inch thick. Butter a small dish or a 
three-pint tin basin, and lay in one piece of the 
dough, bringing it well up at the sides. Have the, 
pieces of chicken cut from the bones, and lay them on 
the crust, put in two or three tablespoonfuls of gravy, 
put butter over it, dust over it a very little flour, and 
put on the other crust, cutting two or three incisions 
across the center. Press it well down at the edge, 
and bake in a rather quick oven for nearly an hour. 
Heat the. gravy, and if there is not enough, add a lit 
tie milk and a teaspoonful of butter, stirring in a little 
flour well mixed with milk, to thicken suflicientl}'. 
Cold roast or stewed veal is nearly as nice as chicken 
used in the same manner. 

Bits of steak, or roast meats, or chicken, are nice 
chopped and put in a stew pan with enough sweet 
cream for a nice gravy, add salt to taste, and a very 
little pepper. Have several slices of bread toastetl, 
and laid on a warm plate, or a few hot biscuits split, 
or a layer of mashed potato, nicely seasoned, and 
pom- the mixture over. The meat ma\' be warmed 
with milk, or even water, seasoning niceh. and thick- 
ening with a little flour or a beaten egg, giving the 
toast a generous buttering, w^iich is nicei" than to 
stir all the butter into the meat. We otten ser\ e the 
meat without the toast, and it is really ver\ nice, 
espccialh' for a breakfast dish. 



Ho-jo to Use the Pieces. 



39 



Slices of cold meat fried in batter are very nice. 
Thick slices of cold roast meat browned on the sfrid- 
iron over a very quick fire, then buttered, peppered 
and salted, and laid on a dish of mashed potatoes, 
makes another change, and if the dish is garnished 
with curled parsley it looks the better. 

Another favorite method of preparing meat is as 
follows : Take four pounds of the round or shoulder 
of beef with a little fat, but free from stringy pieces, 
gristle, etc. Chop fine, or better still, put it through 
a meat chopper. Mix with it two tablespoonfuls of 
salt, one-fourth teaspoonful of cayenne pepper and a 
heaping tablespoonful of sage. Stir till well mixed. 
Make a bag from a piece of coarse strong muslin 
about twelve inches long and nine or ten in width, 
dip it into boiling water, then in cold, wring drv and 
fill with the chopped meat, pressing it in as closely as 
possible. Tie closely and hang in a cold place, not 
sufficiently cold to freeze it however, until next day. 
at least, two days is better. Then put it in a kettle of 
boiling water with a tablespoonful of salt, and cover 
closely. Cook for four hours, removing any scum 
which rises during the first hour. When done, set 
aside until cold, then remove the bag from the kettle 
and put it on a plate with a heav}^ weight upon it. 
and keep in a cool place until next day. 

Cut in thin slices from the end, using a very sharp 
knife, and removing but a little of the cloth at a time. 
This will keep one or two weeks and is v^xy nice, 
and although the recipe takes a good deal of room, 
it isn't a great deal of trouble to prepare it. This is a 
nice dish for summer, and an excellent addition to the 
list of picnic dishes. 



40 



Dining Room Notes. 



In preparing real old-fashioned hash, cold corned 
beef and potatoes are necessary, in the proportion of 
one-third meat and two-thirds potato. A lieet or two 
and a good sized carrot improve it. Chop very fine, 
first the meat, then add the vegetables. Put a Kttle 
butter in a frying pan, a teaspoonful or more accord-- 
ing to the amount of hash, pour in nearly half a cup 
of boiling water, add a little salt and a very little pep- 
per. Then put in the hash, press down nicely till 
well heated through, then stir it thoroughly and press 
down again. Cover and set on the back of the stove 
a little while. 

Fresh meats may be hashed without potatoes, sea- 
soning nicely. A chopped tomato or onion is nice 
with beef or veal. Put it in with the butter and let 
it cook a few minutes, then add the chopped meat. 

Remember that the seasoning is a great point. Do 
not confine yourself to salt and pepper all through 
the year. Get a little celery seed if you cannot pro- 
cure the fresh celery, and there are many sweet herbs 
which are liked by almost every one, and which 
should find a place in every kitchen garden. A pinch 
of sage, or thyme, or summer savory, or sweet marjo- 
ram, will make soup, or the little dish of croquettes, 
or hash, an entirely different thing. Never season 
highly. The very art of seasoning is in getting a fla 
vor wdiich can scarcely be distinguished. I have 
eaten soup with clove which was as strong as a 
spiced cake should be. Half a clove is often suflfl- 
cient to give the desired flavor. Never use " two or 
three," which with difterent people means anywhere 
from two to a teaspoonful, and never use the ground 
clove if it can be avoided. 



How to Use the Pieces. 41 

Sandwiches are a valuable addition to a lunch ta- 
ble or picnic dinner, and are easily made. Good 
bread and butter are the first requisites, and the bread 
must not be in thick slices nor too generously but- 
tered. Neither must the filling be too thickly spread, 
no matter how nice it is. Sliced meats of all kinds 
make good sandwiches. The slices should be very thin, 
so that two or three layers are needed for each, and, 
if fresh, the meat should be lightly sprinkled with 
salt before putting between the slices ot bread. A 
little sifted parsley, or celery seed pounded and sifted 
may be added if liked. Cold meat of any kind, 
corned beef, tongue, ham, or roast beef or mutton 
may be chopped fine, and put into a saucepan with a 
little cream, or milk and butter if you haven't the 
cream, to moisten it sufficiently. 

Add a little pepper, and if the meat is fresh, a little 
salt : stir in a little dry mustard, only a pinch at a 
time, until the flavor is just right. Celery may be 
used with fresh meats if preferred to the mustard. 
Let it get thoroughly heated and turn into a dish to 
cool. Cover and keep in a cool place — hut not on 
ice or it will be too cold to spread easily — until needed 
for use. Then spread the bread and put together. 

Pile several sandwiches together and fold a napkin 
about them to keep from drying, for even in the few 
hours before they are served they will drv at the 
edges. Hard boiled eggs chopped and seasoned 
make good sandwiches. Cold chicken chopped and 
nicely seasoned — celery is very nice with chicken — is 
also excellent, so are the baked eocgrs, for which a 
recipe will be found in another chapter. 

Many emergencies arise, even in the best regulated 



^2 Dining Room Notes. 

households, when, whether occasioned l)y unex- 
pected guests ox the taikire of the market man to 
send the ordered roast in time for dinner, or other 
causes, the dehcious httle croquettes which can be 
made of anvthins:. fish, flesh or fowl, yes, even cold 
vegetables, rice and dry bread, are things to be ap- 
preciated. 

To make chicken croquettes, chop any cold chick- 
en — either roast, boiled or fricasseed. Season with 
salt and a little white pepper, a bit of celery seed, if 
liked, or, when in season, a little chopped celery, and 
to a coffee cup full, or one and one-half teacupfuls, of 
the chopped meat, add one q^^ well beaten, and a ta- 
blespoonful of cream or milk. Mix well together, 
make into little cakes about half an inch thick, dip 
them into beaten egg, then into rolled cracker, and fry 
to a delicate brown. Butterand nice pork drippings, 
mixed, should be used, if one does not wish to use 
much butter to fry them in. Cold veal or beef is al- 
so nice made in the same way. A small onion 
chopped fine and mixed with the chicken is liked by 
many people. 

Cold boiled fresh fish makes very nice croquettes, 
and the addition of boiled rice improves them. A 
heaping tablespoonful to each cupful of chopped 
fish is about the right proportion. Season with salt, 
pepper, and, if you have it, a very little chopped 
parsley, using one ^%% for two teacupfuls of the fish, 
and one tablespoonful of milk. Make into little rolls 
and dip into beaten egg and then into cracker crumbs 
or corn meal. Boiled salt fish may be used in the 
same manner, using half rice, and omitting the pars- 
ley and milk, and if the fish is well soaked and 



How to Use the Pieces. 43 

cooked in plenty of water, they are really very nice. 

Croquettes of cold boiled rice are made as follows : 
To each cupful of rice, add an egg well beaten, sea- 
son with pepper and salt, and, if you have it, add a 
little cold meat, fish or fowl chopped very fine. 
Make into little cakes or rolls, dip into cracker crumbs 
and fry. Cold boiled potatoes may be used in the 
same manner, and are nice for breakfast. The pota- 
toes should be chopped very fine. 

The seasoning of croquettes may be varied in many 
ways. Celery, parsley, sage, a slice or two of onion 
or tomato, and a bit of spice if one likes, all are nice, 
but of course but one should be used at a time. 

Croquettes of cold bread are not uneatable, and it 
is a very palatable method for disposing of the dry- 
bread which will accumulate in most families. Chop 
the bread very fine, removing any hard or browned 
crusts. Pour over it a little hot water, just enough to 
soften, and chop and stir with a knife until well 
mixed. To a pint bowl full allow a heaping tea- 
spoonful of buttert one ^^^ well beaten, salt, pepper 
and sifted sage to season well. Make up into little 
cakes, dust with flour, and fry a light brown. Care 
must be taken that the bread is not made too soft, the 
water being added a very little at a time and the mix- 
ture made stiffs enough to make into the cakes easily. 
They are very good without the ^"g^^ adding a rolled 
cracker with the seasoning. Serve hot, and it would 
be hard work to guess they were made from dry 
bread. There are many richer recipes for chicken 
croquettes, but we seldom use them. 

Sauces and Salads. — Mint, capers, and many 
other sauces are served with meats and fish. Mint 



44 Dining Rooin Notes. 

sauce belongs especially to roast or boiled mutton. 
Ohop fresh spearmint leaves fine, and to half a cup 
add half a cup of vinegar and one tablespoonful of 
sugar. Caper sauce is nice with fish, or with boiled 
fowl, and is very easily made. Put a quarter of a 
pound of butter in a small stew pan, or tin basin, 
with two tablespoonfuls of flour, keep just warm 
enough to soften the butter so you can mix it smooth- 
ly with the flour, then pour in slowly a pint of boil- 
ing water ; when clear and smooth stir in two table- 
spoonfuls of capers. Serve hot and as soon as pos- 
sible. 

The nicest way to prepare mustard is to put two 
teaspoonfuls of ground mustard ( the English is the 
best,) in a cup with one half teaspoonful of sugar and 
one-quarter teaspoonful of salt, and add sufficient 
cold water to make a paste. The quantity can be 
made in proportion to the amount desired. The 
above is (or should be) sufficient for a family of six 
or seven persons. Prepare only what is needed, as it 
should be mixed fresh for each meal, the flavor beingr 
injured if it is kept long after mixing. 

White pepper is far superior to black, for t)ie table, 
being more delicate in flavor. It should always be 
used in preference to black in sauces, salads, etc., 
where pepper is desired, a verv little being all that 
may be used, as, though not so harsh as the black, it 
is strong. 

l!i making sauces, etc., for the table, one needs both 
time and patience. A salad dressing requires stirring 
very gently, and at the same time constantly. One 
cannot leave it half done to go to the pantry for 
something to put into it. Every ingredient, all the 



How to Use the Pieces. 45 

necessary dishes, etc., must be ready before one com- 
mences to make it. It must be stirred one way dur- 
ing the process, or it is spoiled. A rather deep bowl 
is best to make it in, stirring with a silver or small 
wooden spoon. Nothing but silver or wood should 
ever be used about salads, and great care is needed in 
mixing. The oil should be added a drop at a time 
and the stirring must go on during the process. To 
one Q.^^ allow two tablespoonfuls. (or one ounce,) of 
the best salad oil, one tablespoonful of lemon juice or 
vinegar, half a teaspoonful of mustard, and as much 
white pepper as you can take on the point of a tea- 
spoon. Raw^ yolk of ^^^ makes a smoother dressing 
than boiled ; it is stirred till smooth, then the oil 
added according to directions, a drop at a time, stir- 
ring constantly until it thickens ; add next the mus- 
tard and pepper, (some add a teaspoonful of sugar,) 
lastly the lemon juice or vinegar. Stir till well mixed 
and pour over the salad. 

Chicken Salad. — The chicken should be boiled 
in water just salt enough to season it. When cold 
cut. the white meat in small pieces, some prefer chop- 
ping it, add about half the quantity of white, crisp 
celery, cut fine, mix and pour the dressing over it. 
The dark meat of the chicken can be used for many 
nice dishes, so that one needn't spoil the salad for 
economy's sake. The white, crisp leaves of lettuce 
may be used, if celery cannot be procured. 

This dressing is also poured over lettuce leaves 
which have been torn (not cut) in two pieces, follow- 
ing the stem ; they should be piled on a salad dish, (a 
glass dish on a high stand is pretty,) and the dressing 



46 Dining Room Notes. 

poured over it when it is hrouo^lit to the table. i\n- 
otlier favorite way to serve lettuce is to pile the crisp 
leaves on a wooden or grlas's salad plate, with lemons 
cut in halves placed about the edge. The lemons 
should be rolled before cutting, and cut with a very 
sharp knife. Serve half a lemon with each dish of 
lettuce, or thev may be piled on a dish by themselves, 
and the dish passed about the table. After using 
lemon and sugar on lettuce, few people will care for 
it served in any other way. 



Eggs. 



Plain Omelet. — Take any number of eggs de- 
sired, — three are sufficient for two persons, — beat the 
whites to a froth, add the yolks and beat until well 
mixed. Add a teaspoonful of cream, or milk, to each 
egg and stir well. Put a scant teaspoonful of butter 
in a frying pan, and when it begins to color pour in 
the eggs. With a broad knife raise the omelet in 
places to allow the uncooked part to run through to 
the pan. Sprinkle with salt, add a dust of pepper, 
and double together. Turn out on a warmed platter 
and serve immediately. Everything must be done 
quickly in omelet making, beating, cooking and serv- 
ing, if you would be sure of success. If the omelet 
is large it may be turned upon a hot plate instead of 
being doubled as above. In this case the plate must 
be really hot. Put the plate over the frying pan and 
holding in place with one hand, with the other turn 
the pan over quickly. Cold chicken, veal or ham, 
chopped very fine make a delicious addition to an 
omelet, stirring in just before pouring the omelet in- 
to the pan. Oysters chopped fine make a nice ome- 
let. 

Baked Eggs for Sandwiches.— Put a teaspoon- 
ful of butter into a narrow and rather deep cake tin. 



48 Dining Room Notes. 

let it soften but not melt too much, break in a dozen 
or more fresh eggs, salting and peppering as one 
likes, when they are all in, (take care in breaking 
that the yolks do not break,) salt and pepper the top 
and add a tablespoonful of butter cut in small pieces. 
Dust with rolled cracker and place in a hot oven for 
about twenty minutes. Set away to cool, turn out 
when cold, and cut in slices, putting them between 
thin slices of buttered bread. They are very nice. 
We also like the eggs cooked in this way, hot, for 
a breakfast dish as a change from boiled eggs or 
omelets. 

Egg Toast. — Pour one-half pint of milk in a 
small kettle or frying pan, salt and pepper to taste, 
and add a heaping teaspoonful of butter. Beat four 
eggs, and when the milk boils, stir in the beaten ^%%^ 
removing from the front of the stove, stirring con- 
stantly till thick, but not enough to whey. Pour over 
four slices of buttered toast, arranged on a warm 
platter, and serve as quicklv as possible. VVe some- 
times serve the eggs cooked in this way without tlie 
toast. 

Pickled Eggs. — Boil the eggs hard and place in 
cold w.ater for a few minutes. Peel and cut in halves 
lengthwise or leave whole as preferred. Pour over 
them enough spiced vinegar, boiling hot, to cover 
and let them stand until cold. They will keep sev- 
eral davs. Boiled eggs which are left from breakfast 
mav be utilized in this manner, boiling them a second 
time in order that thev mav be w ^ 11 done. 

Browned Eggs. — Cook the eggs until well done, 
— twenty or twenty-five minutes, in water which 



JSiTi^s. 49 



'i><&' 



simmers but is not actively boiling, and then put them 
in cold water for a few minutes. Peel them careful- 
ly and cut them in halves, lengthwise or across as 
preferred. Remove the yolks — taking care to leave 
the whites unbroken, and mash them fine. To six 
eggs allow a teaspoonful of thick sweet cream, one- 
half teaspoonful of butter, one- half teaspoonful of 
salt,^ one- fourth teaspoonful of white pepper and one 
scant teaspoonful of dry mustard. Less pepper will 
answer. Mix well and fill into the halved whites, 
rounding nicely. Beat an q^^ and brush over the 
eggs, sift cracker crumbs over them ver}' lightly, and 
place in a very quick oven for two or three minutes. 
They should be delicately and very quickly browned 
or not at all. These are very nice for lunch or tea, 
and are especialh nice for picnic dinners. 



Vegetables. 



IN THE various methods of cooking vegetables. I 
am in\arinhlv struck with one fact, that most peo- 
ple cook green peas and s\\ eet corn too much, and 
summer scpiash, string and shv.lled beans too little. 

When PEAS are fresh twenty minutes ought to be 
sutlicient to cook them. Put them in a kettle and pour 
in enough boiling water to just show at the edges, 
not to cover the peas ; they should not be covered 
and should boil rapidly, the salt added as soon as 
they are tender or about half done. I usually stir in 
the butter at the same time, preferring the flavor 
when so prepared to the melted butter we have to 
eat when it is not cooked in ; it is also more whole- 
some. Peas are delicious steamed, and we usually 
cook them in this manner. They should be put into 
a dish without water, placed in the steamer, and 
cooked from three fourths of an hour to an hour. 
Season to taste with salt and butter — or cream, 
which is very nice. 

In boiling sweet corn, from ten to twenty min- 
utes will cook any corn which is fresh enough to be 
eaten. If cooked too long the hulls are tous;h and 
will wrinkle as the corn cools. It is more tender and 
better flavored if not salted while cooking. It should 
be put into boiling water and boil steadily. 



Vegetables. ^ i 

Summer sc^uashes should be put into boiling wa- 
ter, salted, or cooked in a steamer as we generally 
cook them. They should be thoroughly cooked. 
When young and tender they will cook in three-quar- 
ters of an hour, but one has to allow from that to an 
hour and a half for some varieties. When done lav 
a strainer cloth over a colander, put in the squashes, 
gather up the corners of the cloth and with a saucer 
or small plate press out the water. Then turn them 
into a warm dish, season with salt and butter, dust a 
little pepper over the top and serve as quickly as pos- 
sible. 

All vegetables with perhaps the exception of 
shelled beans should be served as soon as possible 
after they are done ; shelled beans can be left in the 
kettle — not where they will boil, however — if done 
before one is ready to serve them. 

Corn, peas and squashes ought to be carried to the 
table immediately after dishing them. String beans 
should be put into boiling water, and cooked nearly 
an hour before adding salt, pouring in boiling water as- 
it evaporates ; they require from two to two and one- 
half hours to cook ; (I'm speaking of beans grown in 
one's garden: I've cooked ''market" beans four 
hours without making them tender ;) drain off the 
water from the beans when done, season them well 
with butter, about a tablespoon ful to each quart, cjr, 
if vou have it, a cupful of sweet cream, lettiuif it ("^et 
hot but not boiling, and serve as soon as possible. 

Shelj^ed reans also require thorough cooking, 
usually from an hour and a half to two and a half tor 
some varieties. Thev should be put into boilinof wa- 
ter, just enough to cover, and boiled slowlv but stead 



52 Dining Roon? Notes. 

ily ; salt when about half done. When done season 
well with butter. 

Fried egg-plant is another favorite dish. Wash 
them and cut in slices about an inch thick, lav them 
in salt and water for half an hour and drv them on a 
soft cloth, or pile the slices on a plate with salt 
sprinkled between, and let them stand half an hour. 
Then with another plate put on the top press out the 
water. Pepper and salt each slice and dredge with 
flour, or dip them in beaten ^^^ then roll in cracker 
crumbs, and fry till nicely browned, in equal parts of 
butter and pork drippings. 

To boil CAULIFLOWER, we remove the outer leaves 
and cut the stalk close, and put it salt and water for 
an hour. Drain well and put in a kettle of boiling 
water, salted. Skim it and boil twenty minutes. 
Drain and serve with sauce made as follows : Mix 
half a cup of butter and a heaping tablespoonful of 
flour to a cream in a warm dish that can be set on the 
stove ; when well mixed pour in a very little boiling 
water, not more than four tablespoonfuls, a little at a 
time, stirring constantly. Then pour in slowly half 
a pint of boiling milk, stirring all the time ; let it 
keep hot but not boil for hve minutes; add a little 
salt if necessary and serve as hot as possible. 

Asparagus is one of our most wholesome vegeta- 
bles, and is also one of the most valuable, coming as 
it does so early in the spring. There are manv fa- 
vorite recipes for preparing it, one. which we like 
very much is as follows : Cut the stalks as far as 
they are perfectly tender into pieces about an inch in 
length. Boil till tender, generally about twenty min- 
utes, in just enough water to cover, salt to taste. 



Vegetables. 53; 

Mix a tablespoontul of flour smooth with a httle 
milk, and stir it into the asparagus, together with a 
tablespoonful of butter. Have three hard boiled eggs 
sliced rather thin, and stir them in gently. Let it 
boil up and pour over slices of hot buttered toast. 
This recipe is for one bunch of asparagus, and is suf- 
ficient for four medium-sized slices of toast. The 
stalks may be boiled without cutting and served with 
drawn butter, either on toast or by itself, as one pre- 
fers. We often prepare it in a very simple manner, 
but one which is much liked. Cut the tender part of 
the stalks in small pieces, perhaps half an inch in 
length, cook until tender in just as little water as pos- 
sible, and then add cream, in proportion of a teacup- 
ful to a quart of the asparagus. Salt to taste, and 
serve like green peas. If cream is not to be had use 
milk, adding a tablespoonful of butter to each cup of 
milk. 

An asparagus soup is also very nice. Boil one 
quart of asparagus, cut fine, in one quart of water till 
well done ; rub through a colander and return to- 
the kettle. Add a tablespoonful of butter, and salt to 
taste, and pour in a pint of hot milk. If too thick 
add a little boiling water. Let it get just boiling hot 
and serve immediately wnth toasted bread cut in 
small dice, and piled on a warm plate covered with 
a small napkin, or put th^m in the tureen and pour 
the soup over them if preferred. 

Salsify, or vegetable oyster plant, is very nice 
cooked as follows : Peel and slice five or six roots, 
more, if needed, and boil in salted water until done- 
Drain ort' the water, add milk enough to cover, sea- 
D 



54 Dining Room Notes. 

son with butter, pepper and salt, simmer ten minutes, 
thicken with a httle flour mixed with milk, stirring 
until the consistency of cream. Serve hot. Some- 
times we add sufticient milk to make a soup, season- 
ing and serving like oyster stew, which it resembles 
>;lightly. Another way which gives the flavor of 
fried oysters, is as, follows : Boil the roots until well 
done, peel and mash fine. Season with butter, pep- 
per and salt. Beat an egg, and have ready a plate of 
rolled cracker, or bread crumbs. Dip a teaspoonful 
of the salsify into the ^'g%, then into the cracker, and 
fry in butter. 

Cabbage is one of the valuable vegetables which 
is beginning to receive the attention it deserves. 
Boiled in salted water, and served plain with a little 
butter it is not unpalatable by any means, and it is 
really very nice cooked in the following manner : 
Chop a small, firm cabbage, or half of a large one, 
and boil it in sufticient water to cover for an hour 
and a half. Then drain and return to the sauce-pan, 
cidding milk to just cover it, salt and butter to season 
well. A tablespoonful of butter to each pint of milk 
used is sufticient. Let it just come to the boiling 
point and serve. A teaspoonful of sugar may be put 
into the water with the cabbage when first put on to 
cook if liked. Many who cannot eat, or do nut like 
cabbage, relish it when prepared after this recipe. 

Tomatoes. — Almost every one has many ways in 
which to cook tomatoes, but we like tliem very 
mucii baked. They should be peeled and placed in 
a baking dish, sprinkle a little pepper and salt over 
them, put bits of butter over the top, and covei" with 



Vegetables. qc 

a very thin layer of cracker crumbs, one cracker 
rolled fine is sufficient for a medium sized dish. Bake 
<in hour in a moderate oven. We fry them often and 
think them very nice for a change. Peel and cut in 
thick slices, dip them in rolled cracker and fry in but- 
ter, seasoning- w^ith salt and pepper. They are per- 
haps best when peeled and sliced, and served simplv 
with sugar as one would serve sliced peaches. There 
is also a pale yellow variety, very large and very del- 
icate in flavor, which is served with cream and suo-ar 

Beets are delicious baked. They should be well 
w^ashed but not cut at all, and baked in a rather mod- 
erate oven. The largest beets should be selected, and 
they should bake from three to four hours. Peel and 
slice, seasoning if liked with butter, pepper and salt. 

Parsnips may be boiled and served plain, cutting- 
lengthwise in halves or quarters, according to size, 
but are best cooked by the recipes given for salsify or 
vegetable oyster. They are, like the salsify, an excellent 
addition to the list of spring vegetables, being in 
their prime when other vegetai)les grow stale or 
wilted. 

Onions are among the most valuable of our me- 
dicinal vegetables, yet there are many people who 
dislike them very much. In nervous debility, sleep- 
lessness, etc., they are most helpful. There are manv 
methods lor preparing them, besides the usual plain 
boiled and seasoned with butler, pepper and halt, or 
cream. 

To bake them, boil until tender, drain and cut in 
hitlves, or leave whole if preferred, put into a dish 



S6 



Din Ing Room Notes. 



which they will hll, pour over them half a cupful of 
milk, half cream if you have it, sprinkle with salt and 
cover the top with cracker crumbs — or dredge with 
flour — cut a tablespoonful of butter in small pieces 
and put o\ er the top, and put into a quick oven until 
browned. 

To stew them, slice and boil until tender, then 
drain and add milk to just cover them, mix flour — a 
tablespoonful to a pint of milk — to a smooth paste 
with a little milk, and stir in orently, add butter in the 
same proportion, and salt and white pepper to taste. 
Simmer till it thickens, stirring gently, and serve as 
soon as possible. 

Succotash. — One pint of shelled beans, one dozen 
ears of fresh sweet corn, two tablespoon fuls of but- 
ter and a teaspoonful of salt. Put the beans — lima 
beans are best, in a sauce-pan with a quart of boiling 
water, and the cobs from which the corn has been cut ; 
cover and boil one and one- half hours, adding water 
occasionally if necessary. Then remove the cobs, 
add the corn, butter and salt to the beans ; cover and 
cook slowly one hour. Dried beans can be used in 
the winter with dried or canned corn. In this case 
the beans — a teacupful will be suflicient— should be 
soaked over night in plenty of water. Drain them in 
the morning and scald in fresh water about half an 
hour. Drain again, and put on to cook with the quart 
of water as when using fresh beans. The corn, if 
dried, should be soaked over night in as little water 
as possible, two cupfuls each of corn and water 
would be in good proportion. The water should not 
be chan<red in the corn, which should be well rinsed 



I rorfad/cs. 57 

before soaking. Add to the beans with the butter 
and salt, as in the preceding directions. Canned 
corn may be used instead of the dried, adding it to 
the beans about fifteen minutes before serving. A 
cupful of sweet cream is a delicious addition, just be- 
fore taking from the fire, letting the cream heat but 
not boil. More salt may be added if desired, also 
water in small quantities if necessary. This, although 
so simple, is one of the best recipes for succotash we 
have ever used. 

Carrots. — Many people do not like carrots, but 
thev are among the most valuable of our vegetables. 
Thev mav be boiled, sliced and pickled, like beets ; 
cut in thick slices and lightly browned in a buttered 
frving pan : chopped and heated with a little cream,' 
salt and pepper ; or milk or water, seasoning with but- 
ter : or cut in halves lengthwise and browned on the 
gridiron ; or, cut in the saine manner and dipped first 
into beaten eg-of, then into rolled cracker, or bread 
crumbs, and lirowned in butter. 

In late winter days when vegetables are neither so 
plenty nor fresh as earlier in the season, there are 
some wavs of preparing those we may be fortunate 
•enough to have at hand, which may be new to many 
of «>ur readers. Beets whicli are sometimes tough 
and wilted, are nice stewed. Wash and peel them, if 
Avilted thev should stand in cold water an hour or two 
before peeling. Slice and cut in small pieces and put 
them in a sauce-pan with cold water enough to cover 
well. Cover and cook slowly two hours, taking care 
the water does not boil out. If the beet is then ten- 
der, add a little salt. Stir Hour to a smootii paste with 



c;S Dining Room Notes. 

a little water (a tahlespoonful of flour will be suffi- 
cient to thicken a quart of the stew), and stir in, add 
a heaping teaspoonful of butter, a)id a little pepper. 
Boil up and serve hot. 

Carrots are nice cooked in the same manner. 

Potato chowder is very good, especially to help 
out a dinner of odds and ends, which is served occa- 
sionally in even the best regulated households and is 
also good for supper where there are working men 
who require something warm and hearty. Peel and 
slice a dozen potatoes and put them in cold water. 
Put a generous tahlespoonful of butter and a quart of 
hot water in a sauce-pan, add a scant teaspoonful of 
salt, and when boiling hot, add the potatoes, and cook 
slowly three quarters of an hour. Add a pint of 
milk and let it just come to a boil, add more salt if 
necessary, a little pepper if liked, and serve imme- 
diately. 

Cold vegetables may be made into many palatable 
little dishes. 

Cold potatoes ma}' be sliced, put in a sauce-pan, 
with milk to cover them, season with butter, pep^^er 
and salt, and thicken with a little flour. 

Beets may be sliced, cut in small pieces and 
warmed with a very little water, adding butter, pep- 
per and salt to season. 

Cold boiled cabbage is nice warmed as follows : 
Put a little milk and butter in a dish, and when hot, 
add the cabbage. Cover and heat slowly to a boil, 
stirring occasionally. 

Cold parsnips may be sliced, dipped in beaten ^^%., 
rolled in cracker crumbs and fried a delicate brown. 



Vegetables. 



59 



or tbc\' \WA\ be put in a sauce pan with sufficient 
inilk to cover them, seasoned with butter, pepper and 
salt, and thickened with a verv little flour, mixed to a 
smooth paste with milk or water. Cold potatoes are 
good cut and fried in the same manner. 



Bread. 



Compressed Yeast Bread. — One-half of a two- 
cent cake of compressed yeast soaked in one cupful 
of warm water one half hour. Then add one pint of 
warm water or warm new milk, one teaspoonful of 
salt and two of sugar, and one quart of flour. Stir 
well tog-ether and, covering with a thin cloth, put 
where it will keep warm. In two hours it should be 
very light, w^ien just enough flour should be added to 
make it stift' enough to knead smoothly. This bread 
requires less kneading than bread made from home- 
made or baker's yeast. If the flour is good it will 
mould in a few minutes into a smooth, soft dough, 
ready to be divided into loaves. These should be 
"arge enough to half fill the pans and should be cov- 
ered with a cloth and kept warm for an hour or 
onger, until the pans are just rounding full. Bake in 

moderate oven from three- fourths of an hour to an 
nour, accordinpf to the size of the loaves. If the loaves 
are rubbed over the top with nice butter warmed just 
enough to soften it, before they begin to brown, the 
crust will be tender, and of a delicious color and fla- 
vor. When done turn out quickly ; stand the loaves 
on one end, tipping them against the pans, where the 
air will strike them, as bread should cool as rapidly as 
possible. Cover onlv with a thin cloth until cold. 



Bread. 6i 

If preferred all the flour may he mixed with the 
yeast at once, niouldino^ into loaves, and puttin^^ di- 
rectly into the pans to rise. It rec[uires a little more 
kneadino^. but is very nice and very little trouble to 
make. 

If rolls are wanted for tea leave out enough bread 
dough for one loaf. Knead a few minutes, and if you 
like, add a heaping teaspoonful of butter, although 
the rolls will be lighter without. Roll about half an 
inch thick, cut out in rounds (a goblet is convenient 
if vou have not a large cutter,) double nearly in half, 
putting a small piece of butter in each fold, and place 
close together in a biscuit pan. Let them rise rather 
more slowly than the bread by keeping them a little 
less warm, but should they rise just right for baking 
put theni into the oven immediately, as if thc\' fall 
thev will not be so nice. The pan should be rather 
more than rounding full, when put into the oven, and 
the top of the rolls rubbed w^th butter or milk. It 
will do no harm if the rolls are baked two or three 
hours before tea time. By putting them (in the pan) 
in a quick oven till warmed thr(jugh, they will be 
nicer than if left unbaked after they are risen sufh- 
ciently. 

• Potato \'EAS'r. — Two cjuarts of boiling water, two 
cupfuls of grated potato, one-half cupful each of salt 
and sugar, one cupful of good sweet yeast. Peel and 
grate the potatoes as quickly as possible, measure and 
pour the boiling water ox er. stirring constantl} until 
it thickens, like starch. wStraiii through a coarse sieve 
into a large earthen bowl, and -mX^X the salt and sugar, 
stirring occasi()ii;dl\ until it dissolves. When hike 



62 Diiiing Room Notes. 

warm stir in the cupful of veast and let it stand 
where the temperature will remain even, until verv 
light and foamy. Keep tightly corked in a dry, cool 
place. I generally keep the yeast in glass fruit jars, 
two quart jars are yery conyenient for the purpose, 
and in warm weather they can be put into the refrig- 
erator. 

Potato Yeast Bread. — One half cu])ful of yeast, 
one pint of warm water or new milk, we prefer water 
for this bread, and one cpiart of flour. Stir till well 
mixed. Cover and keep in a warm place (if in cold 
weather) until morning. We generally mix the vea^^t 
about nine o'clock in the evening. As earlv in the 
morning as convenient stir in flour to make it int" a 
stift' dough. It is difficult to give the exact quantit\-, 
as no two brands of flour are alike, and what wt^idd 
make a dough just the right consi^-tency from one 
kind would be too stifTwith some other brand. Knead 
until the dough feels smooth and soft : it should re- 
quire very, little flour on the moulding board. Cut 
into loaves and rise and bake as in recipe for l^read 
from compressed } east. 

Dry or Cake Yeast Bread. — Soak one-halt 
cake of National, or any other good yeast, in one cup- 
ful of warm water until soft : then stir and strain it 
into a pint of warm water, or, as we generally mix it, 
stir enough flour into the pint of warm water to make 
a stift' batter, a quart is about right, then add to the 
strained yeast a teaspoon ful of salt and two of sugar 
and stir it into the batter. Cover and put where it 
will keep warm. This should be done about five 
o'clock in the afternoon. About nine stir in just 



Bread. 



63 



enough flour to knend, and knead just enoucrh to mix 
well. Put in a large mixing bowl, put a cloth over 
it, cover closely and leave till morning to rise. Tlien 
knead a little, Ave or ten minutes is sufficient, cut in- 
to loaves, knead into shape, and put into pans to rise. 
Rise and bake as in recipes for compressed yeast 
bread. 

Raised Graham Bread.— One- fourth cake ot 
compressed yeast, one pint of warm water, one scant 
teaspoonful of salt, two tablespoonfuls of molasses or 
one of sugar, and. if molasses is used, a scant quarter 
teaspoonful of soda. Mix all together and stir in suf- 
ficient graham meal, or what is far better, hue granu- 
lated wheat to make a dough as stiff as can be stirred. 
Butter the bread pans and fill half full with the bat- 
ter, place them where they will keep warm, for the 
bread should rise quickly. Cover with a thin cloth, 
and as soon as it is well risen, (the pans should be 
just even full.) put into rather a quick oven to bake 
from half to three-quarters of an hour, according to 
the size of the loaves. Bread put rising at breakfast 
time should be baked by twelve o'clock. If sugar is 
used instead of molasses, omit the soda. 

Graham Bread Withouj- Yeast. — Two cupfuls 
of graham or "fine granulated wheat."" one and one- 
half cupfuls of cold water or milk, one teaspoonful of 
sugar, one- half teaspoonful salt, and two teaspoonfuls 
of baking powder. Mix the baking powder thor- 
oughly with the meal, then add the other ingredients 
and mix as rapidly as possible. Heat roll pans and 
butter them, pour in the batter and bake in a quick 
oven twenty minutes. Or bake in a loaf not too deep. 



64 



Dininsr Room Notes. 



a shallow pan should always be iisrd, and one of our 
favorite baking pans for graham (.r corn bread is a 
short handled iron frying pan, heated and buttered 
like the roll pans before the batter is poured in. This 
rule makes the sweetest and lightest ' graham ' bread 
imaginable, but to be perfect it should always be 
baked in iron pans. 

Graham Bread. — Three cupfuls of graham meal, 
two cupfuls of rich milk slightly sour, two table- 
spoonfuls of molasses, one-half teaspoon ful of salt, 
and one teaspoonful of soda. Put all together in a 
deep bowl and mix cpiickly and tlioroughly. Bake 
in shallow pans well buttered, in a ([uick oven. 

Raised Graham Mufp^ins. — One third cupful of 
good sweet veast, two cupfuls ot warm water and 
three cupfuls of graham. Stir well together and 
keep in a warm place till morning. Then stir in two 
tablespoon fuls of molasses and .one- half teaspoonful 
of soda diss(^lved in a teaspoonful of hot water. 
Bake in gem pans or muffin rings. Sugar may be 
substituted for the molasses, one tablespoonful will be 
sufficient, and half the soda omitted. One-fourth of 
a dry yeast cake dissolved in one-third cupful of 
warm water may be used instead of the liquid yeast, 
straining it into the two cupfuls of water. 

Tea Biscuit. — One or two heaping tablespoonfuls 
of butter, four teacupfuls of tlour, one and one half 
teacupfuls of sweet milk, and four even teaspoon fuls 
of baking powder. Rub the butter, which should be 
cold and hard, into the flour ; when fine, sift in the 
baking powder and stir quickh' and lightly in, then 



Bread. 6^; 

add tlie milk and mix with knife or spoon as rapidly 
as possible. Turn out on a floured board, do not 
kneatl, but make ii^to shape quickly, and with as lit- 
tle handling as possible. Roll about an inch in thick- 
ness, cut out with a biscuit cutter and place closely in 
a buttered tin or a small dripping pan. Put into a 
very hot oyen immediately and bake from ten to fif- 
teen minutes. Serve on a warmed plate covered 
with a folded napkin or doyley. Never put a warm 
biscuit or any warm bread upon a cold plate. S(jme- 
times we put the dough ''rolled to lit" into the pan, 
then with a sharp knife well buttered cut into squares, 
cutting through to the pan. This saves a little time. 
and the biscuit are very nice. 

If cream of tartar and soda are used, use two tea- 
spoonfuls of cream of tartar and one of soda to the 
four cupfuls of flour, stirring the cream of tartar into 
the butter and flour, and dissolving the soda in the 
milk. 

Rolled Bisci it. — Take four cupfuls of flour, two 
tablespoonfuls of butter, one and one-half cupfuls of 
milk, and four teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Mix 
like any buscuit. Roll out about (me-third of an inch 
in thickness, spread over it a heaping teaspoonful of 
butter warmed just enough to soften. Roll up and 
cut in slices about half an inch thick. Place close 
together in a buttered tin, and bake in a very quick 
oven. These are very nice, and make an attractive 
looking dish. We sometimes add two tablespoonfuls 
of sugar and one half teaspoonful of cinnamon to the 
teaspoonful of butter, beating together thoroughly, 
before spreading it over the dough. Most people 
prefer these to tlic plainer buttered rolls. 



66 Dininp' Room Notes. 



t} 



Scotch Bread. — When makiiior bread, reserve 
enough for a small loaf when all ready for the last 
rising in the baking pans. Roll ilrout, spread on one- 
third of a cupful of butter and three-quarters of a 
cupful of sugar ; roll up and knead till smooth, using 
as little flour as possible. Roll out again, spread on 
two-thirds of a cupful of currants, which have been 
picked, washed and thoroughly dried ; or the same 
quantity of seedless raisins. Roll up, knead as gently 
as possible till the fruit is well mixed with the dough, 
put it in a small bread pan, and rise till light ; then 
>pread the top lightly with butler and sift sugar over 
it. Bake in a moderate oven, taking care the crust 
(.Iocs not scorch. This is very nice, and is excellent 
for the children's lunch. It may be made into small 
biscuit or '" bunns " if preferred to the loaf. 

Blueberry Cakes. — This is a standard breakfast 
cake with us during the blueberry season, and one 
which frequentl}' does duty as dessert also. Take 
one -third of a cupful of sugar, an even tablespoonful 
of butter, one ^'g?,, a scant half cupful of milk, a cup 
rounding full of flour, a pinch of salt, and a heaping 
teas])oonful of baking powder. Beat the butter and 
sugar together, add the ^<g% and beat well. Stir in 
the milk and salt and add the flour, stirring rapidly, 
tlie baking powder, (jf course, being thoroughly mixed 
w^ith the flour. When well mixed, stir in carefully a 
cupful oi blueberries. Bake in a tin plate, or in roll 
or gem pans, which should be warmed and very 
slightlv buttered. Bake in a quick oven fifteen or 
twent\- minutes. Baked in a plate and cut in squares, 
serving with a clear sauce, this makes a very nice 
pudding. 



Hread. 5y 

Dumplings for Stews, Etc.— One pint of fluur. 
one teaspoonfiil of butter, two teaspoonfuls of Cleve- 
land's Superior baking powder, one-fourth teaspuon- 
tul of salt, and three fourths of a cupful of milk. 
Rub the butter into the flour, stir in the baking pow- 
der, then add the milk, in which the salt sho'Iild be 
dissolved. Mix very quickly, handling as little as 
possible ; roll about half an inch thick and cut in 
small rounds. Put them 'over the stew, cover closelv 
and cook rapidly just twenty minutes. Or, the dougii 
ma}- be rolled to tit the stewpan and be laid whole, 
over the top, covering closely and cooking the same 
length of time. 

Sally Lunn.— Three cupfuls of flour, one scant 
tablespoonful of butter, warmed enough to soften it, 
one ^^g well beaten, one-third teaspoonful of salt, 
one and one-half cupfuls of sweet milk, one or two 
tablespoonfuls of sugar, as one likes best, and three 
teaspoonfuls of baking powder, which should be 
mixed thoroughly with the flour. Mix the beaten 
Qgg, milk, butter and salt together, and stir the flour 
in rapidly. When the batter .is smooth, pour into a 
long biscuit tin, well buttered, and bake in a quick 
oven about twenty minutes. When done, mark the 
crust with a warmed knife, and break the cake in 
pieces. It should never be cut, neither should anv 
warm cake. We call this a -breakfast" cake, al- 
though it makes a frequent appearance at our tea 
table, and often does duty as dessert, with canned or 
ficsh fruits. 

Breakfast Rolls.— One cup of milk, two cups 
of flour, one ^<gg, a heaping teaspoonful of butter, a 



68 Dining Rootu Notes. 

tablespoonful of sus^ar, one half teaspoon ful of «^oda, 
a little salt, and a teaspoonful of cream of tartar. 
Beat the white of the egg to a froth, and stir in 
qiiicklv. Butter the roll pan, which should he pre- 
viously heated, and fill with the batter. This amount 
will just fill the pan. Bake about fifteen minutes in a 
quick oven. 

MuFFiN.s. — Two cupfuls of flour. one cupful of 
milk, one- fourth teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful 
of butter, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder 
mixed with the flour. Warm the butter just enough to 
soften it, put all the ingredients together, and mix 
well and rapidly. Heat and butter roll pans, and put 
a tablespoonful of the batter into each, and bake in a 
quick oven, or. as we generally cook them, butter 
muffin rings, and put them on a hot griddle, fill half 
full with the batter, cover with a pan or deep tin 
cover, which will not interfere with the rising of the 
.muffins. When nicely browned at the under crust, 
turn carefuUv and quickly. They should not be cov- 
ered this time, and need but a few minutes cooking. 
As soon as they are well browned they are done. 
This quantity makes a dozen muffins in good sized 
rings, and we find this method of cooking very con- 
venient in the morning when 'one is hurried and 
doesn't want to wait for the oven to heat, or when the 
fire is "contrary" or too low to heat it, and especially 
convenient when the weather is too warm to keep 
sufficient fire to ensure a hot oven. 

Corn Muffins, No. i. — Two cupfuls of corn meal. 
two eggs, two cupfuls of milk, one-half teaspoonful 
of salt, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, or 



Bread. 69, 

one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and one- half tea- 
spoonful of soda. Mix the baking powder with the 
meal, beat the eggs to a froth and add to the milk, 
stir in the meal and salt quickly, pour into hot roll or 
gem pans well buttered, and bake twenty minutes in 
a quick oven. 

If cream of tartar and soda are used instead of the 
baking powder, mix the former with the meal, and 
dissolve the soda in the milk. 

Corn Muffins, No. 3 — One cupful of corn meal, 
one-half cupful of flour, a tablespoonful of sugar, one- 
fourth teaspoonful of salt, one and one- half teaspoon- 
fuls of Cleveland's baking powder, one ^^^.^ and one 
and one-half cupfuls of sweet milk. Bake in roll or 
gem pans, which should be well heated and buttered 
before pouring in the batter, or in a biscuit pan, or, 
better still, a short-handled iron " spider," or frying 
pan. 

Corn Cup Cake. — One tablespoonful of butter, 
one half cupful of sugar, three eggs, two cupfuls of 
milk, two cupfuls of corn meal, and two teaspoonfuls 
of baking powder. Beat the butter and sugar to- 
gether, add the eggs well beaten, the milk and salt, 
and then stir in the meal, having the powder thorough- 
ly mixed with it. Bake in gem pans twenty minutes, 
or in buttered cups half an hour. We also bake it in 
a dripping pan and cut in square pieces to serve. For 
all these recipes the meal should be sifted before meas- 
uring, the pans heated, and the oven very hot. 

Johnny-Cake. — One pint of corn meal, one- half 
teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of butter and 
enough boiling water to make a stiff paste. 

E 



yo Dhiing Room Notes. 

It is difficult to give the exact quantity as the meal 
varies greatly, but it is our usual custom to put a pint 
of water in the teakettle and when it boils pour slow- 
ly over the meal, stirring constantly. Sometimes it 
will require all the water, but usually only about two 
thirds. 

Spread it in a shallow pan well buttered — an iron 
frying pan"well heated before being buttered is best — 
and bake half an hour in a quick oven. The batter 
should be marked with a buttered knife into squares 
or diamonds before baking, in order to break it easily. 

This is nearest the old fashioned hoe-cake of any 
thin«- in the line of corn bread now made. 

Boston Brown Bread. — Two cupfuls of corn meal, 
one cupful of graham, one-third cupful of the best 
molasses, two cupfuls of sour milk, one teaspoon 
rounding full of soda, and one teaspoonful of salt. 
Mix thoroughly, pour into a buttered bread boiler, or 
tin pail, which should be placed in a kettle of boiling 
water and cook steadily for five hours. The pail, if 
used, should be one with a tight cover. The kettle 
should also be covered, and care taken that the water 
does not stop boilin^. Kill up the kettle with boiling 
water from time to time as it may be needed. 

This makes a small loaf, but tiie quantities may be 
easily doubled if more is wanted, and the bread is 
light and delicious, and of a rich, dark, reddish brown 
color. Rye meal may be used instead of graham, but 
we prefer the latter. The milk should not be very 
sour if it is, half sweet may be used, which will make 
it ricrht. If much soda has to be used in any thing 
with corn meal or graham the flavor of each is spoiled. 



Bread. 



71 



Brewis. — This is an old-fashioned dish made of 
brown bread crusts and pieces, which is very nice, 
and some of our readers may not know how to pre- 
pare it. Put the sHces of bread, the crusts and brok- 
en pieces, into a hot oven until they are well browned, 
then break them and put into a sauce pan with enough 
boiling milk well seasoned with salt and butter to 
cover the bread. Simmer slowly for an hour or two, 
adding milk as it boils away or is absorbed by the 
bread. Serve hot. and you will have a wholesome 
and palatable dish. 

Griddle-Cakes. — Two cupfuls of flour, one and 
one- half cupfuls of sour milk, one- half cupful of 
cream — either sweet or sour — one scant teaspoonful of 
salt and one teaspoonful of soda, two eggs. Dissolve 
the soda in a tablespoonful of boiling water, and add 
to the milk and cream, then stir in the e<j-urs, (well 
l)eaten) add salt and Hour, and a little more sotia if 
not very light. Beat together thoroughly and quickly. 
Have the griddle hot and well rubbed with salt. Then 
butter it slightly and fry the cakes as rapidly as pos- 
sible. If cream is not to be had, use two cupfuls of 
milk and a teaspoonful of butter, melted. 

Sweet milk uKiy be used, using baking powder or 
oream of tartar and soda, but the last of tiie cakes 
will not be quite so light or nice as those first 
tried unless one has a large griddle and is very expe- 
ditious. If properly polished with sah. the gridtile 
will Wi^KiiX but one application o'i buttei'. 

Bread Griddee-Cakes. — Chop sta^e bread and 
•^oak it in milk until you can mash it ver}- tine, usin<>- a 
])int each, of biead crumbs and milk. Add a ciq)ful 



7 2 Dining Roo?fi Notes. 

of sour milk and one-half cupful of flour and let it 
stand till morning, then add a teaspoonful of soda — 
or more if necessary — one of salt, and two eggs (one 
will do very well) well beaten, one-half cupful of 
cream or a teaspoonful of butter melted and enough 
milk to make the desired quantity, and one-half cup- 
ful of flour unless the batter seems sufticiently thick 
without it. 

Rice Griddle-Cakes. — One cupful of cold boiled 
rice, one-half cupful of flour, one and one-half cup- 
fuls of rich sweet milk, two eggs well beaten, one- 
half teaspoonful of salt and one of baking powder. 
Bake quickly. If they do not turn well add a table- 
spoonful of flour. 

Cream Toast. — Put one quart of milk into a fry- 
ing pan to heat, and stir three tablespoon fuls (not 
heaped) of flour to a smooth paste with as little cold 
milk as will suffice. When the milk is hot add the 
flour mixture and stir till it thickens. Then stir in a 
generous tablespoonful of butter and add salt to taste. 
If you have it stir in also a cupful of cream. Then 
remove the pan to the back of the stove and proceed 
to toast the bread — this quantity of cream will be suf- 
ficient for eight or ten slices. As soon as the bread 
is toasted put it into the cream, it will hiss as it touch- 
es it, and the toast will be very difterent from that 
which is toasted and set aside to cool or toughen while 
the cream is being prepared. Warm a platter and 
place the toast upon it, pouring the cream over it. 
Send to table immediately. Bread made from tiie 
" whole wheat '' flour and the " fine granulated wheat '' 
makes delicious cream toast. 



Cake. 



A RULE ? No, I never bother to make my things 
by rule. When I make a cake I take what but- 
ter and sugar I think I shall need and eggs according 
to the number I have on hand, and I most always 
have good luck. Sometimes it isn't quite as good as 
usual, but if it isn't eatable I make a pudding. I 
wouldn't be tied to rules in my cooking. '' 

So said a friend to whom I was giving a recipe for 
cake, which she had '' wished she could make to taste 
just like it," but would not write it down, said she 
could "guess at it near enough," and you can imagine 
the quality of the cake. 

There are many people who think it too much troub- 
le to '• cook by rule." as they call it, who will not 
measure ingredients for cake, etc., and even if they 
do measure the butter and sugar, will guess at the 
flour, stirring it in until it is " about as thick as usual." 
Consequently the cake often falls or cracks open, from 
having too much Hour in. 

Don't •' guess " at any thing, and do not use a recipe 
which tells vou to use a " good sized piece of butter," 
or to ''stir in flour to make a thick — or thin — batter." 
Peoples' ideas as to "thick" and thin" and "good 
sized pieces of butter," vary considerably, the " pieces" 
of butter beinij: anvwhere from the size of a walnut 



74 Dining- Room Notes. 

to a. teacupf'iil, according to the disposition of the usei\ 

Cake should not stand before being baked, and one 
should be careful that the hre is steady, and the oven 
not too hot. Layer cakes for jell}" or cream cakes, 
and plain, light cakes, like '' feathe ' cakes, alone 
need a very quick oven. The richer the cake the 
more slowly and the longer it must bake. 

Do not use sour milk for cake. It is not to be com- 
pared to sweet milk with baking powder or good 
cream of tartar and soda. 

Sour milk makes cake or any thing else more por- 
ous and coarse grained than sweet, and cake will not 
keep so well, or be so hue in flavor when mixed with 
it, unless, of course, one makes molasses cake. In 
that case sour milk is preferable to sweet, as most peo- 
ple use too much soda to neutralize the acidity of the 
molasses, and when sweet milk is used with it, the 
flavor of soda is too apparent for most tastes. 

In many cases cake is spoiled by carelessness in the 
mixing, many people thinking it a waste of time to 
beat the butter and sugar to a cream before adding 
any thing else, or to beat the whites of the eggs sepa- 
ratel3\ adding them to the cake after the flour is all 
stirred in. The plainer the cake the fewer the eggs, 
the more necessity, there is for making it as nice as 
possible. It may take five minutes longer, but is very 
little more trouble and it makes enough difference in 
the cake to more than repay one for the extra work. 
Flour should always be measured after it is sifted, and 
if baking powder is used, stir it into the flour and sift 
again. If soda and cream of tartar are used, mix the 
cream of tartar with the flour in the same vvay. The 
soda is dissolved in the milk, if milk is to be used in 



Cake. 75 

the cake, if not, dissolve in a teaspoonl'ul of boiling 
water and stir into the cake before adding any of the 
flour. 

The fruit, to be used in fruit cake, should be pre- 
pared, (that is. the raisins, and currants,) the day be- 
fore the cake is to be made. Currants should be 
washed in three or four waters, the first two warm, 
then spread on a soft, coarse cloth or towel, nothing 
nice, as they are apt to stain, and let them get thor- 
oughly dry. The best way is to put another cloth in 
a dripping pan, pour the partially dried currants in, 
and place in a very slow oven, leaving the doors open. 
Stir occasionally, and when dry look over carefully, 
as there are often little stones among the fruit. Then 
dust with flour, a heaping teaspoonful to a pound is 
sufficient. Mix it well, so the currants are all 
floured. Shake in a colander to remove the surplus 
flour and any stra}^ stems, and put away in a very dry 
place. It is a good plan to wash currants in this way 
when bought, keeping them in a glass fruit jar. It is 
a great convenience to have them all ready for use, and 
they are not nearly so apt to spoil. 

Raisins are to be picked from the stems and washed, 
then dried and seeded, after which they are floured 
like the currants. When raisins are to be used in cup 
cake, or in any kind which does not require long bak- 
ing, they should be steamed the day before using. 
Spread them on a plate which will fit in your steam- 
er and cook for an hour. When cooked in this man- 
ner they are tender and wholesome, which is by no 
means the case when they are put, without previous 
cooking, into a cake which will bake in half or three- 
quarters of an hour 



7 6 Dining Room Notes. 

Currants need no previous cooking, they will cook 
sufficiently in any pudding or cake. 

In warm weather when making cake, set the whites 
of ^gg"s in an ice chest, or in some cold place while 
mixing the cake. They will beat very light if so 
treated, it being impossible to beat them to a light 
stiff froth if warm. 

In cold weather let the butter stand in a warm 
room for perhaps half an hour before using. It will 
be much easier to stir, and will be far nicer than to 
partly melt or soften in the oven or hot dish, which is 
apt to make it oily. Always use the same sized cup 
or spoon for measuring all ingredients, unless other- 
wise stated, and remember that a tablespoon does not 
mean a kitchen mixing spoon, which I have seen 
people use in following a recipe. 

In measuring baking powder the spoon should be 
just rounding full. In measuring soda and cream of 
tartar, fill the spoon even full and smooth it off with 
a knife. To get half a teaspoonful, measure a spoon- 
ful, and after smoothing off divide lengthwise. In 
this way one is sure of a correct measure. Care should 
be taken to have the soda free from lumps, as it is 
impossible to measure it properly if not fine. A good 
way when soda is bought, is to roll and sift it, and 
then put it in a box. In this way it is always ready 
for use with very little trouble. 

Cake tins should be lined with thin brown paper, 

one thickness being sufficient for a cake which will 

... * 

bake quickly. A pan in which fruit cake is baked, 

should have three or four layers of thick, light brown 

paper at the bottom and two at the sides, covering 

with a thinner paper. For sponge cake, the paper 



Cake. 77 

should be buttered slightly all over. Cake in which 
butter is used, does not require buttered paper, unless 
very little is used, in which case it is well to butter 
the paper a little, so it will not adhere to the cake. 

~RUiT Cake. — A fruit cake which is a favorite 
wuh all to whom we have given the recipe is made 
as follows : To make it more convenient for those 
who mav not number the useful little scales among 
their household helps, I have carefully measured as 
well as weiofhed the materials used. 

Two pounds (four teacupfuls) of butter, two pounds 
(four and one-half teacupfuls) of sugar, one pint of 
molasses, one pint of coft'ee, tifteen eggs, three pounds 
(twelve teacupfuls) of flour, one tablespoonful each 
of clove and cinnamon, a teaspoonful of mace, two 
nutmegs, four pounds of currants, two and one half 
pounds of raisins, and one and one-half pounds of 
citron. Slice and flour the citron and mix with the 
currants and raisins, also prepared for use as directed 
above. 

I always have the materials weighed and measured 
ready for use before commencing to mix, making the 
pint of coffee so that it may cool before it is needed, 
and I use two tablespoonfuls of coffee to the pint of 
water. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the 
yolks of the eggs and beat well ; add the spices, and 
when well mixed stir in the molasses and coffee, and 
next the whites of the eggs beaten to a stifl' froth. 
Stir in the flour, and when well mixed add the fruit 
stirring slowly and thoroughly. 

Line your cake pans — one large one is best, a milk 
pan will do if vou have not a deep sheet iron pan, 



78 



Dining Room Notes. 



which is always best I'or cake which has to hake a 
longtime — witli smooth ])rowii ]:)aper. three thick- 
nesses at tlie sides of the pan. and four or live at the 
bottom. Butter the last paper a little, and fill the pans 
about two thirds full. I^ake slowly four hours, cov- 
ering the cake with a thick brown paper, if it begins 
to brown too mucli. The molasses answers all the 
purposes of brandy which I never use in cake, and it 
will keep as well without it. The cake which I made 
a year ago, is nicer now than when first cut. It should 
be made at least a month l)efore cutting it, and if 
wanted for a party or wedding cake — for which it is 
very nice — it should be handsomely frosted two or 
three days before it is cut. Otherwise it is best not to 
frost it. 

White Frui']' Cake. — The following makes a 
delicious white fruit cake, which will keep nicely for 
a month or longer. One cupful of butter, two cupfuls 
of sugar, tw^o-thirds of a cupful of sw^eet milk, two 
and one-half cupfuls of flour, whites of six eggs, one 
and one-half teaspoonfuls of Cleveland's baking 
powder, one pound of blanched almonds, and one of 
citron. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the 
milk, then stir in the flour with the baking powder 
well mixed in. Next add the whites of the eggs beat- 
en to a stiffs froth, and when well mixed, stir in the 
citron, sliced and dusted lightly with flour, and the al- 
monds halved or sliced as you prefer. Line two med- 
ium sized cake tins with buttered paper, pour in the 
batter, smoothing over the top, and bake slowly till 
done. This cake should be handsomely frosted. 

White FRiiit Cake No. 2. — Another which is 



Cake. 79 

very nice, is as follows : One cup of butter, two cups 
of sugar, one cup of milk, four cups of flour, four 
eggs, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one-halt 
pound of citron, one pound of blanched almonds, one 
pound of currants, and one pound of seedless raisins. 
Mix as in the preceding recipe except that the volks 
of the eggs are added when the butler and sugar are 
well mixed. Bake slowly. Two loaves or one large 
one. 

Prepare the raisins and currants the da}- before 
making the cake, that is, VN'ash and dry thoroughly, 
and flour them. Also blanch and dry the almonds. 
It is not so well to buy them all ready for use. as they 
are apt to be verv dry and sometimes oily. Buy two 
pounds or more of the nuts and shell them. Weigh 
the meats, if there is a scant pound it will answer, and 
blanch them, that is, pour boiling water over them, 
and let them stand two or three minutes until the 
hard, brown skin will slip oft'. Dry the meats, and 
slice or chop as preferred. Ordinary raisins may be 
used, but need to be stoned and therefore discolor the 
cake. The seedless or Sultana raisins are much bet- 
ter. 

Speaking of blanched almonds reminds me to say 
that when butternut meats are used in cakes, they are 
enough nicer blanched to repay one for the little time 
and trouble it requires, and they are much more 
wholesome. 

Delicate Cake. — One-halt" cup of butter, one and 
one-half cups of sugar, two thirds of a cup of milk, 
two cups of flour, three eggs, and one and one- half 
teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Beat the butter and 



"So Di7iing Room Notes. 

sugar together, and when smooth and creamy, add 
the yolks of the eggs, beat well, add the milk, and 
stir till well mixed. Add the flour, in which the bak- 
ing powder has been thoroughly mixed, and stir till 
very smooth, then stir in the whites of the eggs which 
have been beaten to a stiff froth ; beat well, and pour 
into two medium-sized cake tins. Bake in a rather 
moderate oven half an hour, or until when pricked 
with a broom corn, it will come out smooth and dry. 
This makes a very handsome layer cake, baked in 
four plates, large size, and put together with frosting, 
either boiled or* not, colored with the poke-berry jelly, 
a recipe for which will be found in another chapter. 

Plain Cake. — One heaping table-spoonful of but- 
ter, one cup of sugar, two eggs, one-half cup of milk, 
one and one-half cups of flour, and one teaspoonful 
•of baking powder. Flavor with lemon or almond 
and sprinkle the top witli sugar before putting the 
cake in the oven. 

This makes one good sized loaf, or is nice baked in 
little tins. Mix in the manner given in the recipe for 
delicate cake. 

Favorite Cake. — Two- thirds of a cupful of but- 
ter, one cupful of sugar, one and one-half cupfuls of 
flour, four eggs, one tablespoonful of milk and one 
scant teaspoonful of baking powder. Cream the but- 
ter and sugar together, add the yolks of the eggs and 
beat till very light. Beat the whites of the eggs to a 
stiff froth and mix the baking powder thoroughly 
with the flour. Add a little of the flour to the cake 
mixture and when well mixed add the milk ; Then 
beat in alternately the whites of the eggs and flour. 



Cake. 8r 

part at a time. Pour into a cake tin lined with paper 
and bake in a moderate oven. This cake is very much 
hke the old fashioned pound cake and is very nice. 
It will keep three or four weeks in a jar or cake box. 
Sometimes I add a little sliced citron. The cake is 
very nice, — as is the delicate cake — baked in a biscuit 
tin, frosted, and cut in squares when served. 

Lemon Cake. — Two eggs, one cupful of sugar, 
four tablespoonfuls of milk, (real tablespoon, remem- 
ber), one-fourth teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful 
of baking powder and a rounding cup of flour. Beat 
yolks of eggs and sugar together, add the whites well 
beaten, then the milk in which the salt is dissolved ; 
lastly the baking powder and flour well mixed to 
gether. Bake in two round pie tins, lined with but- 
tered paper. When cold, spread the lemon between 
the cakes, and sift sugar over the top. This cake is 
better on the second or third day after baking than 
when fresh and therefore very convenient to make 
when preparing for expected guests. 

Lonon Butter for above Cake. — Grated rind and 
juice of one lemon, three-fourths of a cupful of sugar^ c 
and a scant teaspoonful of butter. Put the lemon 
juice and grated rind into a bowl, stir in the sugar 
and place the bowl in a dish of boiling water. Beat 
the ^^<g and when the sugar is melted and the syrup 
hot, add the egg. stirring constantly for about ten 
minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Then stir in 
the butter and put the bowl into a dish of cold water 
stirring the mixture occasionally until it cools. It is 
then ready for use, or it may be kept several days or 
even weeks, in a covered jelly glass. It is delicious 



S2 Dining Roojn Notes. 

for cakes or for tart fillings, using very little for the 
latter, as it, although so simple, seems too rich to use 
m quantity. This quantity of lemon mixture is suffi- 
cient for two or three cakes, but we usually make but 
one, keeping the filling until we want another ^ cake. 

Orange Cake. — One-half cupful of sugar, one- 
fourth cupful of milk, one ^Z^-, one cupful of flour, 
one teaspoonful of baking pow^der, or one- fourth tea- 
spoonful of soda and one-half teaspoonful of cream 
of tartar. Stir the butter and sugar to a cream, then 
add the yolk of the ^^^^ and when well mixed pour 
in the milk, stirrin<^ thoroughly. If soda is used it 
should be dissolved in the milk. Then add the flour 
in which the baking powder, or cream of tartar, has 
been thoroughly mixed, beat till sniooth, and stir in 
the white of the ei^^g beaten to a stifle froth. Beat 
brisklv for two or three minutes ;jnd bake in two 
round pie plates. 

P'or the filling you require two L;ood-sized oranges, 
a heaping tablespoonful of flour, two tablespoonfuls 
<;f water, two tablespoonfuls of sugar and the yolk of 
one egg. Grate the yellow rind from one of the 
oranges and put aside till needed. Peel the oranges, 
remove ail th^ white rind, and cut tiiem in small 
pieces, cutting out all the center pith and removing 
the seeds. Put the orange in a bowl which you can 
set in a dish of boiling water, and when it is hot stir 
in the flour mixed to a smooth paste with the water. 
If too stifl U) stir smoothly, add a very little more 
water. When it thickens — it should be stirred con- 
stantly — beat the yolk of the egg to a cream with the 
sugar. Stir it in and cook two or three minutes. 



Cake. S3 

Remove from the Hre, and if not pleasantly tart, add 
a little lemon juice, or, if you haven't it, a tiny pinch 
of tartaric acid, and stir in half the g-rated peel. 
When the mixture and cakes are both cold, put the 
orange between the cakes, beat the white of the egg 
to a stiff froth, and add two even tablespoonfuls of 
^>iugar, beat well, stir in the remainder of the grated 
peel, (it will turn the frosting a peculiar greenish col- 
or) and spread over the top of the cake, which should 
be placed in a hot oven tor two or thrc«e minutes to 
brown lightly. It requires close watching and turn- 
ing frequently that all sides may be browned alike. 
A grated pineapple is a delicious substitute for the 
the orange, the frosting flavored with a few drops of 
the juice. We also make tlic filling witii lemon in- 
stead of orange, using one lemon, and a heapin<^ 
teaspoonful of corn starch instead of the tablesptKjii- 
ful of flour. 

These cakes are very nice, and will keep in a cool 
tlry place for two (jr three days. For a large family 
the recipe is easilv doubled. 

LayePv Cake. — A cheap plain cake which we use 
for layer cakes, to spread witli jelly, soft frosting, 
cocoanut, or cream, or hake in a loaf lo scrxc fresh 
for tea is as follows : 

One ^^^^'g, one tables})oonful of butler, two thirds of 
a cupful of sugar, one-thiid of a cupful of milk, one 
cupful of flour, a pinch of salt and a teaspoonful of 
baking powder. It makes a very good loaf cake if 
served when fresh, aiul is still better if slightlv warm. 

Molasses Cake. — Two cupfuls of New Orleans 
molasses, one cupful of sugar, one and one-half cup- 



84 Dining Room Azotes. 

fuls of butter, five eggs, five cupfuls of fiour. one 
pound of raisins seeded and cut in pieces, one tea- 
spoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of cinnamon, one- 
half teaspoonful each of soda and cloves, and half a 
nutmeg, grated. The raisins should be washed, dried 
and seeded the day before making the cake. When 
ready for use we cut each in two or three pieces with 
a pair of small scissors which we find very conven- 
ient in the kitchen. It sounds like a great deal of 
work, but it is more as easily and quickly done than 
chopping, which makes the raisins sticky besides 
cutting them too small. Flour the cut raisins and 
shake them well in a colander. Then proceed to mix 
the cake. Stir butter and sugar to a cream, dissolve 
the soda in a teaspoonful of hot water and stir into 
the molasses, which is then added to the butter and 
sugar. Then add part of the flour, next the eggs, 
well beaten, the salt and spice and rest of the flour. 
Lastly the raisins. Stir well and put into two good 
sized baking pans, lined with buttered paper, ■'n-^ 
bake an hour in a moderate oven. 

Sponge Cake. — This is a favorite recipe, always a 
success and very nice. Four eggs, one teacupful of 
sugar, one and one-third cupfuls of flour, one tea- 
spoonful of baking powder, and one tablespoonful of 
cold water, a little grated lemon peel or a few drops 
of lemon extract. 

Beat the yolks of the eggs and the sugar until 
creamy, and bubbles will rise when you stop beating 
for a moment, — about fifteen minutes is generally 
sufiicient ; add the whites beaten to a stift' froth and 
the grated peel and water. Beat until well mixed. 



Cake. 85 

and add the flour with which the baking powder has 
been thoroughly mixed. Beat quickly until well 
mixed, — but do not stir it, and pour into shallow pans 
lined with buttered paper. This is very nice to use 
for Charlotte Russe, when instead of baking in a pan 
it should be dropped on buttered tins in little cakes, 
either round or long and narrow like lady fingers 
and bake quickly. Frosted, with blanched almonds 
chopped and stirred into the frosting ; this makes a 
delicate and delicious cake for evening parties, etc. 

If one uses cream of tartar and soda instead of 
baking powder, one half tea spoonful of cream of tar- 
tar, and one-fourth teaspoonful of soda will be the 
right proportions. 

Cream Cake. — A nice cream cake which also 
makes an excellent dessert is made by baking sponge 
cake in two round or long tin i^lates and putting 
together with a cream made as follows. One pint of 
milk, one-half cupful of flour, — or four teaspoonfuls 
of corn starch, two eggs, one-half cupful of sugar, 
and a little salt. Mix the flour (or starch) with a little 
of the milk and put the rest in a double boiler to heat ; 
beat the eggs with the sugar, and when the milk is 
hot stir in the flour, stirring till it thickens, then add 
the ^%<g and sugar, stir for a minute or two and 
remove from the fire ; add the salt, and a teaspoonful 
of lemon or vanilla extract. When cold put between 
the cakes, and sift sugar over the top. The whites of 
the eggs may be reserved for other use ; they are not 
needed in the cream, and we usually make a dish of 
frosted apples or something of the kind in order to 
use them. 



86 Dining Room Notes. 

Boston Cream Cakes or Puffs. — For the cakes 
you need one pint of flour, one pint of boiling water, 
three-fourths of a cupful of butter, and six eggs. 

Chop the butter fine, and then mix thoroughly with 
the flour. Put the water (boiling) into a sauce pan, 
and shake in the flour and butter, stirring until it is 
well mixed. Remove from the fire, and stir till the 
paste is smooth, cool a little, just enough not to cook 
the eggs, then break them in, stirring each in well be- 
fore adding another. When all are well beaten in, 
di'op the mixture on buttered tins, or dripping pans — 
we like the latter best — a heaping teaspoonful in each 
cake, smooth into a round, flat cake, putting them 
about two inches apart, as they must not touch when 
baking. Bake twenty-five or thirty minutes in a 
moderate oven. 

For the cream, heat a pint of rich milk, and when 
scalding hot, stir in three-fourths of a cupful of flour, 
mixed to a smooth paste with a cupful of milk. When 
thick and smooth, add two egfgfs well beaten, and 
cook two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from 
the fire, add a cupful of sugar, one-half teaspoonful 
of salt, and one teaspoonful of extract of lemon. 
Stir well, and put away to cool. The cream should 
be made in a double boiler or farina kettle, or in a 
pail or dish, set in boiling water, never in a saucepan, 
as it scorches so easily. 

When the cakes are baked, put them on a sieve or 
folded towel to cool, and when cakes and cream are 
both cold, cut the cakes open at one side, with a very 
sharp knife, and put in a dessert spoonful of cream. 
If rightly mixed and baked, the cakes will be hollow 
and very light. They will keep in a cool place sev- 
eral days, covered lightly with a thin cloth. 



Cake. 87 

Sometimes, for a change, we fill them with whip- 
ped cream, stiffened with the white of an egg, a re- 
cipe for which will be found in another chapter, and 
flavored with vanilla, lemon, or a little strawberry or 
raspberry juice, which is very nice, but the cakes will 
not keep with this filling. 

Ribbon Cake. — Make the white part from recipe 
for Delicate Cake, on page 79, and bake in two long 
tin plates or biscuit tins. The dark part is made as 
follows : Two-thirds of a cupful of New Orleans 
molasses, one-half cupful of sugar, one half cupful 
of butter, two eggs, two even cupfuls of flour, one- 
fourth teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of cinna- 
mon, one-half teaspoonful each of soda and cloves, a 
little grated nutmeg and ten drops of extract of al- 
mond, two tablespoonfuls of chopped citron, one-half 
cupful each of currants and raisins, the latter chop- 
ped. Mix butter and sugar to a cream, add the eggs, 
reserving the white of one, and beat well together. 
Dissolve the soda in a teaspoonful of boiling water 
and stir into the molasses, which is then added to the 
butter, sugar and eggs. Then add part of the 
flour, the salt and spice, then the rest of the flour. 
Lastly the fruit well floured. Bake in a tin the same 
size used for the white cake, lined with thick paper 
well buttered, and bake in a moderate oven about half 
an hour. When done and partly cooled, beat the 
white of the ^%% with a tablepoonful of sugar and 
spread half of it over one of the white cakes. Place 
the fruit cake upon it with the remainder of the frost- 
ing spread over it, and cover with the other white 
cake. Place the cake upon one of the tins inverted, 



88 Dining Roo7n Notes. 

cover with another, and put a weight upon it. Let it- 
stand till next day before cutting. The cake should 
be wrapped in a thin cloth or napkin before putting- 
it betw^een the tins to press. 

Frosting. — To make frosting, allow ten teaspoon- 
fuls of powdered sugar and one-half teaspoonful of 
lemon juice to the white of one ^%%. Beat the &^^ 
until you can invert a teaspoonful without its falling, 
then beat in the sugar, a teaspoonful at a time, add 
the lemon juice, and spread upon the warm cake with 
a broad knife dipped occasionally in cold water. 

Put in a cool dry place to harden. If the cake is 
rich dust with flour, brushing afterwards lightly with 
a napkin to remove what does not adhere, before 
frosting it. 

We use a boiled frosting in winter when eggs are 
scarce, which is always a success. Put a cupful of 
sugar into a saucepan, add four tablespoonfuls of wa- 
ter, stir still dissolved, and beat the white of an ^^^ 
to a stiff froth. After the sugar comes to a boil let it 
boil just four minutes, then pour it over the beaten 
white and beat till thick and smooth and nearly cold. 
Spread while just warm on the cake. It will be very 
white and smooth, and is a nice frosting to spread be- 
tween cakes, especially with grated cocoanut sprink- 
led thickly over it. 

Chocolate Frosting for Layer Cakes, &c.— 
The yolks of three eggs, one cupful of powdered or 
very fine granulated sugar, two squares (or ounces) 
of chocolate, and one teaspoonful of vanilla Beat 
the eggs and sugar together to a smooth, creamy 
paste, then add the chocolate, melted, and the va- 



Cake. 89 

Tiilla. Spread between the cakes, or use it to 
frost a loaf. To melt the chocolate, break it in 
pieces and put it in a cup or bowl, which should be 
placed in a dish of hot water until the chocolate 
melts, then allow it to cool a little and stir into the 
frosting. 

Golden Frosting. — Is made in the same manner, 
omitting the chocolate. This frosting will dry quick- 
ly, and cuts without breaking. The cake may be 
placed in an oven which is just warm, for a few min- 
utes, to hasten the drying, leaving the door open. 

Now^ for a little talk about cookies, and then we 
will bring our cake chapter to a close. I can sympa- 
thize with the disappointed ones who have had a re- 
cipe given them ending with, " Stir in sufficient flour 
to make a stifle dough," and after spending consider- 
able time and strength over the mixing and rolling, 
to take a pan of cookies from the oven tough and dry 
from a surplus of flour. But I conquered at last, af- 
ter spoiling a good many "messes" of sugar, butter 
and flour in experimenting, and now every recipe for 
cookies which is used at " our house " has the neces- 
sary amount of flour given. It should be remem- 
bered that if the patent flour is not used, a little more 
flour (perhaps a heaping teaspoonful to each cupful 
will be a fair proportion), is needed. 

Sugar Cookies. — One cupful of sugar, one-half 
•cupful of butter, two eggs, three tablespoonfuls of 
sour cream, one-half teaspoonful of soda and four 
cupfuls of flour. Flavor with any spice or extract de- 
sired. Remember that the tablespoon must be a real 
tablespoon. If you use the big mixing spoon the 



^o Dining Rootn Notes. 

cookies will be spoiled. Cream butter and sugar to- 
gether, then add the eggs, well beaten, then the cream 
with the soda dissolved in a teaspoonful of boiling 
water stirred well into it, then add whatever flavoring 
is used and the flour, stirring quickly till well mixed. 
Use as little flour as possible on the moulding board. 
We often leave a little from the last cupful to use for 
this, as one is apt to use more than is necessary. 
These cookies, or any other in fact, should not be 
kneaded or mixed at all on the board. If properly 
mixed in the bowl they will be ready to roll without 
any kneading. 

Molasses Cookies. — The following is an excellent 
recipe for soft molasses cookies : One and one-fourth 
cupfuls of best New Orleans molasses, one-half cup- 
ful of sugar, one cupful of thick cream, slightly sour, 
one tablespoonful of butter, one teaspoonful of soda, 
slightly heaped, one teaspoonful salt, one-fourth tea- 
spoonful ginger, one-fourth teaspoonful cloves, and 
one-half teaspoonful cinnamon. Six cupfuls of flour. 
Roll about one-fourth of an inch thick. This recipe 
makes three and one-half dozens. If cream is not to 
be had, use milk, and to each cupful called for allow 
one heaping tablespoonful of butter, warmed enough 
to stir into the milk. This amount of butter is entirely 
independent of any other amount given in the recipe. 

In recipes in which buttermilk is mentioned, and 
which many people cannot procure, milk may be 
used, adding butter -in the proportion of ascant table- 
spoonful to each cupful of milk. 

Cream cookies are very nice, and easily made. 
Take one cup of very thick cream, one cup of sugar^ 



Cake. 91 

a little salt, a teaspoonful of vanilla, two cupfuls of 
flour, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, roll 
about a third of an inch thick, and bake a delicate 
brown. Sour cream and soda may be used, taking 
care to use only sufficient soda to neutralize the acid- 
ity of the cream. 

Another little cake, not exactly a cooky, but easier 
to make, and we think better, is as follows : One-half 
cupful of sugar, one cupful of best New^ Orleans mo- 
lasses, one-third cupful of melted butter, one q%% well 
beaten, one teaspoonful of cinnamon, one-half tea- 
spoonful of cloves, one-half teaspoonful ginger, one- 
half teaspoonful salt, one teaspoonful soda, and three 
and one-half cupfuls of flour. Mix the soda with a 
teaspoonful of boiling water and stir into the molas- 
ses. Add the butter, Q<g<g, salt and spice, part of the 
flour, then the sugar and the remainder of the flour. 
When well mixed, flour the hands, and takeoff pieces 
of the dough the size of a nutmeg, roll slightly, then 
roll them in granulated sugar. Put on buttered tins 
an inch apart, and bake in a quick oven. These are 
very nice. We also make the first recipe for cookies 
in this manner, leaving out a cupful of flour. Some- 
times instead of flavoring these we put a little cinna- 
mon in the sugar in which they are rolled. They are 
very nice and will keep, if closely covered, for three 
or four weeks. 

Soft Gingerbread. — One cup of New Orleans 
molasses (best quality), one ^%^, three tablespoonfuls 
of melted butter, three tablespoonfuls of sour milk, 
one teaspoonful of soda, one and one-fourth cupfuls 
of flour, one teaspoonful ginger. Mix quickly and 



^2 Dining Room Notes. 

bake in a moderate oven. Sweet milk answers every 
purpose, one- fourth of the teaspoonful of soda being 
omitted when it is used. One-half cupful of currants 
or steamed raisins added to the mixture, using a little 
clove and cinnamon in place of the ginger make a 
very good plain cake, but it should be eaten while 
fresh. 

All nice cookies are mixed like cake, excepting 
that it is unnecessary to beat the eggs separately. Beat 
them well and stir in with the butter and sugar. In mo- 
lasses cookies or gingerbread, melt the butter a little 
to soften it and stir in the molasses, then the eggs, 
milk, etc., as for cake. 

For ginger snaps the best way is to boil the molas- 
ses five minutes, add the butter, ginger and spice, 
stir well together, and remove from the fire. To a 
pint of molasses add a generous half cup of butter, a 
heaping teaspoonful of ginger, one-half teaspoonful 
each of clove, cinnamon and salt, and a heaping tea- 
spoonful of soda, dissolved in two tablespoonfuls of 
boiling water. Cool a little and stir in flour to make 
a stiff dough. Knead just enough to make it smooth, 
roll thin — a small piece at a time — cut out and bake 
in a quick oven. When cool they should be crisp 
and very nice. 

Doughnuts. No. i. — One cupful of sweet milk, 
a piece of butter the size of an ^'g^, two eggs, one 
and one-half cupfuls of sugar, five cupfuls of flour, 
one half teasj^oonful of salt, two teaspoon fuls of bak- 
ing powder, and half a nutmeg, grated. Beat butter 
and half the sugar to a cream, beat the the eggs with 
the rest of the sugar till light and stir all together. 



Cake. 93 

Add one cup of flour, then the salt and nutmeg and 
the cupful of milk. When well beaten, add the rest 
of the flour in which the baking powder has been 
sifted. If soda and cream of tartar are used instead 
of baking powder, dissolve one-half teaspoonful of 
soda in the milk and mix the cream of tartar (one tea- 
spoonful) with the flour. Mix quickly and thor- 
oughly, turn out on a lightly floured board, and after 
shaping as little as possible, roll, a small piece at a 
time, a little less than half an inch in thickness, cut 
out with a cutter having a centre cutter, and fry in 
plenty of fresh, sweet lard and beef drippings, half 
of each, or lard alone. Sour milk may be used in- 
stead of sweet, using one-half teaspoonful of soda to 
each cupful, and omitting the baking powder. 

Doughnuts. No. 2. — One-third cupful of butter, 
two and one-half cupfuls of sugar, two cupfuls of 
milk, nine cupfuls of flour, three eggs, one nutmeg — 
or one-half teaspoonful of allspice, one teaspoonful of 
salt and four teaspoon fuls of baking powder or two 
of cream of tartar and one of soda. Mix the butter 
with the flour as you would in making pie crust, then 
sift in the baking powder, and mix thoroughly, stir in 
the sugar, beat the eggs, and add them with the milk, 
salt and spice. Stir quickly and roll and fry as in the 
preceding recipe. The shapes may be varied. Some 
like them cut in small rounds without the hole in the 
centre, rolling them in pulverized sugar as soon as 
fried. Others cut them in strips which they twist to- 
gether something like a figure eight. 

Doughnuts. No. 3. — Two eggs, two cupfuls of 
sugar, one cupful of sour cream, (thick) one cupful of 



94 Dining Room Notes. 

sweet milk, one scant teaspoonful of soda, one round- 
ing teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of spice,, 
clove, cinnamon and nutmeg, mixed. For this it is- 
difficult to give the exact amount of flour, the thick- 
ness of the cream varying so much. It w^ould be w^elL 
to use seven cupfuls, adding more if necessary to- 
make it roll. Dissolve the soda and salt in the milk, 
and add to the cream, beat well together, then add 
eggs, sugar, spice and flour. Mix quickly. 

Doughnuts should be kept in a jar or cake tin^ 
closely covered and are better after they have been, 
made two or three days than when fresh. The same- 
fat may be used three or four times if carefully kept 
and it is not scorched. It may be poured, after using,, 
and slightly cooled, into a kettle of ^vater and allow- 
ed to cool, when it should be taken oft' and the under- 
side v/iped carefully. The water will retain all the- 
sediment, and the fat may be put into a jar covered, 
closely and kept cool and dry. 

Strawberry vShortcake. — One quart of flour,, 
one-half cupful of butter, four teaspoonfuls of bak- 
ing powder, one and one-half cupfuls of milk. Mix. 
precisely like the baking pov/der biscuit, and very 
quickly, turn out and mould as little as possible, cut in^ 
halves, and roll one large enough for a long tin bak- 
ing plate. Butter the tin, and lay in the crust, letting- 
it come well up around the sides, spread with butter, 
roll out the other crust, and put over it, being careful 
to make it come up as high as possible at the sides. 
Bake about fifteen minutes in a quick oven. While 
it is baking, add as much sugar as desired to three 
pints of nice ripe berries, breaking them just enough 



Cake. , 95 

to melt the sugar, and, when the cake is done, lift off 
the top crust and place it on a folded towel till 
wanted. Put the under crust on a warmed platter, 
pour in half the berries, put on the top crust and fill 
in the rest of the berries. Serve as soon as possible, 
and on no account place it in the oven for a moment, 
as the heat will destroy all the fine flavor of the fruit. 
Blackberries are very nice used in place of the straw- 
berries, and in winter we often use the canned ber- 
ries in this way. 

Orange Shortcakes are delicious. Peel and 
slice the oranges, removing seeds and pith. Cut each 
slice in two or three pieces, using a very sharp knife. 
When the cake is ready sprinkle the fruit with su- 
gar, put half between the cakes and the remainder on 
top. Pineapple grated or cut fine is also very nice. 
Hot stewed apple makes a pleasant variety in win- 
ter, the shortcake being preferred by many to a pie^ 
especially if one has cream to whip and serve with it. 
Dried peaches nicely stewed and seasoned, make 
another change, and in the spring one will find a rhu- 
barb shortcake excellent ; the rhubarb being stewed 
and sweetened. For a very small family half the 
quantity of crust may be made, using a small-sized 
pie plate to bake it in. 



Pastry. 



1DO not agree wholly with Warner, who in one of 
his inimitable little essays says, " A little north of 
Bellows Falls you strike the region of perpetual 
pie." 

Now " perpetual pie " isn't wholly confined to the 
Green Mountain State. There are similar regions in 
other states, and the dwellers therein are slaves to the 
idea that the Saturday baking must include one or 
two dozen pies, which are often to last till the next 
Saturday comes. But, while I think that far too 
many pies are made and eaten, I cannot deny that an 
occasional apple, berry, squash or custard pie is too 
tempting to resist, if freshly made. 

An apple pie ought to be made the day it is to be 
served, so also ought most berry pies ; while custard 
may be kept until next day, and a squash pie is im- 
proved by so keeping. 

Butter, or butter and beef drippings, or prepared 
suet — which, mixed in equal parts, make a deliciously 
crisp and flaky pie crust, or cream, are all preferable 
to lard in making pastry. To prepare the beef drip- 
pings, which is always nicer when prepared often, 
from two to five pounds at a time procure the " soft 
suet " which is mostly the pieces of solid fat cut from 
roasting pieces. Cut in small pieces, wash in cold 



Pastry. 97 

water, and put it in a kettle or sauce-pan, with half a 
cup of cold water. Let it boil slowly till the fat sep- 
arates well from the scraps ; set it back on the stove, 
keeping it hot, but not boiling, for a little while, then 
strain into a pail, which should be kept in a cool place 
closely covered. Return the kettle to the stove, and 
let the scraps stay until the fat is all out. Strain in a 
cup to grease griddles, etc. Use in the same propor- 
tion as lard, and even without butter, you will have a 
light, crisp, flaky crust. It is also good for cookies, 
molasses cakes, gingerbread, etc., if salt enough is 
used in seasoning, as I do not salt the suet. 

Cream Pie Crust. — Stir a scant teaspoonful of 
baking powder, and a heaping teaspoonful of salt 
into a quart of flour, and mix with thick sweet cream 
which should be very cold. Handle as little as pos- 
sible on the board, (it — like all pie crust — should be 
mixed with a knife,) and roll rather thin. 

Mince Pies. — Boil five or six pounds of beef from 
the shoulder or round. When very tender, remove the 
kettle from the fire, and set it in a cool place till the 
next day. Then take out the meat and chop it fine. 
Weigh it, chop twice the weight of good, tart, juicy 
apples, and a pound of suet very fine. Dissolve a 
glass of currant or apple jelly in a quart of boiling 
water, and add it to the meat and apple, also stir in 
a pint of molasses, two pounds of sugar, and a pint 
of cofl'ee. Stir all well together, put it in a porcelain 
kettle, or better still, in a large jar, set in a kettle of 
boiling water, and when warm stir in two pounds of 
seeded raisins, two pounds of currants thoroughly 
washed, and a pound of citron chopped rather fine, 



•98 Dining Room Notes. 

a tablespoonful of cinnamon a tablespoonful of clove, 
a teaspoonful each of mace and allspice, a nutmeg 
grated, and a tablespoonful of salt. 

Cook two hours, stirring occasionally. If on press- 
ing a little with a spoon, the juice will fill in, it is suf- 
ficiently moist, if not, add a little more jelly dissolved 
in sufficient water. It is seldom necessary. Keep in 
a jar in a cool place, closely covered, and it will keep 
for several months. Canned, boiling hot, it will keep 
all through the year, or as much longer as you like. 
I never use brandy or wine in the mince, and I do 
not like cider, as I think it more apt to ferment, and 
chopped apple gives all the apple flavor required. If 
the apples are not sufficiently sour to give a fine fla- 
vor, add the juice of one or two lemons. The coffee 
should be made fresh, pouring a pint of boiling wa- 
ter upon two tablespoonfuls of coff^ee. Let it steep 
fifteen minutes, — it must not boil, and strain. Al- 
though not rich, these pies are very nice. A cup of 
butter may be used if one cannot procure good suet. 

Cranberry Pie. Wash one and one-half cupfuls 
of good, ripe cranberries, and chop them, but not 
very fine, seed one-half cup of raisins, and add to the 
berries with a cup of sugar. Stir well together and 
bake with two crusts, sprinking a little flour and a 
very little spice over the fruit, before putting on the 
top crust. Bake in a moderate oven from one-half to 
three-quarters of an hour. 

Stewed and sifted cranberries make very nice pies, 
•or rather tarts, by baking with one crust, and laying 
strips of paste across the top to form diamonds. The 
fruit need not be sweetened quite so much as when 



Pastry, ^ 

T-ised for sauce, and when the pie is cold sift sugar 
thickly over the top. 

Pumpkin Pie. — To one quart of stewed and sifted 
pumpkin, add three pints of milk, one and one-half 
'Cups of good molasses, and salt to taste. Add four 
eggs, well beaten, and season with nutmeg, cinnamon, 
-and a pinch of ginger, not enough of the latter to give 
more than a " suspicion of a flavor." This will make 
four pies. Of course any other spices may be used, 
giving the flavor most liked. 

Squash Pies. — For squash pies we use two cups 
•of squash, boiling hot, (if the squash is cold it must 
be steamed till hot enough,) and two cups of boiling 
milk. Stir well, cool and sift. Add a cup of cold 
milk, or one-half cup each of milk and cream, two 
•eggs well beaten, sugar arid salt to taste, and a little 
-cinnamon. Bake with a rich undercrust. This quan- 
tity makes two pies. 

Apple Pie with One Crust. — Fill a pie plate 
with slices of tart, juicy apples, which will bake 
quickly, then put a crust over the top, and bake in a 
rather quick oven. When done, turn upside down on 

•a warm plate, season the apple with bits of butter, 
sift sugar over it, and grate on a little nutmeg. Not 
unwholesome to eat warm, as there is little crust, and 
that crisp and delicious, if rightly made, and turned 

-according to directions on a warm plate. 

Currant Pie. — Beat one egg, add half a cup of 

•sugar, and a teaspoonful of flour. Stir this carefully 

with a pint of currants, and pour into the pie plate, 

•which should be lined with a thin crust. Add an- 



lOO 



Dining Room Notes. 



other half cup of sugar, grate over it a very httle nut- 
meg, or add a pinch of clove or cinnamon, as you pre- 
fer. Put on the top crust and bake. The under crust 
should be rolled large enough to leave an inch all 
round the plate, w^hich should be turned up over the 
fruit after the pie is filled. Wet slightly with cold 
water or white of Q'g^^ and press the top down closely, 
and you will not be troubled by the juice running out. 
There should be two or three slits cut in the center of 
the top crust. Sometimes we allow a tablespoonful 
of flour to each pie, instead of using the ^%%.i stirring 
it carefully with the fruit that it may be evenly dis- 
tributed. Then put half the currants in the plate, add 
half the sugar, then the rest of the currants with the 
sugar on top. We sometimes lay narrow, thin strips 
of crust over the top, making diamonds, instead of a 
plain upper crust, in which case the crust is not rolled 
over at the edge, but cut rather closely ; or the upper 
crust may be entirely omitted, and after the pie is cold, 
finish with a meringue top. This, however, is too rich 
for many tastes. 

Peach Pies are very nice. The fruit should be 
peeled and halved, or quartered if large, and a deep 
pie plate always used. A soup plate is excellent to 
use for this purpose. Line with a rich crust and fill 
with the fruit. Cover with sugar, half a cupful is 
sufiicient for good ripe peaches, sift over them a table- 
spoonful of flour, or a little less if the fruit is not very 
juicy, and put bits of butter over the .top. A tea- 
spoonful of butter is suflicient for one pie. Cover 
vs^ith a top crust and bake one hour in a moderate 
oven. If cream is to be served with the pie it is well 
to omit the butter. 



Pastry. loc 

Lemon I'ie No. i, — Beat together o\\^ cup of sugar 
and an egg ; when thick and smooth add a tablespoon 
ful of flour. Grate a little of the yellow peel from x 
good sized lemon and stir into the mixture. Then peel 
the lemon, carefully removing jill the pith, and with 
a sharp knife cut in thin slices removing all seeds 

Line a pie plate with crust, and have the top crust 
rolled read}' to use ; stir the lemon slices with the egg 
and sugar and pour into the plate, cover cjuickly and 
bake in a quick oven. 

Lemon Pie No. 2. — One and one-half cupfuls of 
water, three fourths of a cupful of sugar, one tea 
spoonful of butter, three teaspoonfuls ( slightly 
heaped) of corn starch, one g^^^ and the juice and 
grated rind of one large lemon. Put the sugar and 
water in a sauce pan and when nearly boiling, stir in 
the corn starch mixed to a smooth paste with as little 
cold water as possible. When thick and clear, stir 
in the yolk of the ^'g'-^ well beaten, and remove from 
the fire. Pour into a bowl, add the lemon juice 
and rind and the spoonful of butter, and stir well. 
When cool, pour into a plate lined with a rich paste 
well baked, cover the top with a frosting made front 
the white of the ^'gg and two tablespoonfuls of sugar^ 
and place in a hot oven to brown delicately. 

Corn Meal Custard Pie. — Scald half a pint of 
milk, mix two even tablespoonfuls of corn meal with 
a little milk and stir in. Do not use a kitchen mixing 
spoon. I mean a real '"table" spoon. If you do not 
like to use those in the kitchen, buy a cheap spoon 
just the size, for such needs. Cook fifteen minutes^ 
or a little longer if the meal settles. Cool, add two- 



, (102 Dining Room Notes. 

thirds of a cup of cold milk, one egg well beaten, 
three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one-fourth tea- 
spoonful of salt. Stir well, and pour into a good 
sized pie plate, lined with a nice crust. Grate a little 
•jiutmeg over it, and bake like a costard pie. The 
■oven should be rather quick, and the pie should bake 
in half an hour or a little less. 

Custard Pie. — Two cupfuls of rich milk, two 

eggs well beaten, one-fourth teaspoonful of salt, two 

'ablespoonfuls of sugar. Mix well together ; pour 

nto a deep pie plate lined with a rich crust, and grate 

lutmeg over the top. Bake in a moderate oven tak- 

ng care it does not get over done. Many people 

prefer grating the nutmeg over the pie immediately 

after taking from the oven. 

Cream Pie. — Scald half a cup of milk, thicken 
-with a heaping tablespoonful of flour mixed smooth 
with a little milk ; stir till smooth, cool and add a 
'Cupful of thick cream, salt, sweeten, and flavor to 
taste. Bake with two crusts, and serve very cold. 
-Make but one at a time as they are nicer the same 
<day they are baked. 

Frosted Custard Pie. — A custard pie is very 
aiice leaving out whites of two eggs, which when the 
pie is baked, should be beaten to a stiff' froth ; add 
ihree tablespoonfuls of sugar, and two of cocoanut. 
Pour over the pie and return to the oven for a minute, 
>r until browned very lightly. 

Cocoanut Custard Pie. — Measure a pint of 
-^nilk and pour nearly all of it into a saucepan or 
double boiler. Into the remainder stir a tablespoon 



Pastry. 103 

rounding full of flour. When the milk in the sauce- 
pan is scalding hot, pour in the paste, and stir till 
smooth. Ten minutes will cook the flour sufliciently. 
Remove from the fire, and while it cools, beat two 
eggs to a froth, add to the thickened milk, stir in 
half a cup of sugar, one-fourth teaspoonful of salt, and 
half a cup of cocoanut. Pour into a deep pie plate 
lined with a rich crust and bake. 

Chocolate Pie. — This is made like the above, 
omittinor the cocoanut and the whites of the eo-o-s. 
Add one square of Baker's chocolate, melted in a 
cup placed in hot water, to the custard, and flavor with 
a teaspoonful of vanilla. When baked frost with the 
whites of the eggs, — beaten to a stiff' froth, — and 
three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Brown slightly in a 
quick oven. 

Blueberry, blackberry, and other berry pies re- 
quire a tablespoonful of flour to each^'quart of berries. 
The berries should be put — not more than a quart at 
a time, in a colander and dipped two or three times 
in a large pan full of cold water. This removes dust 
and freshens them very much. Drain, dust the flour 
over them and fill into j^ie plates' lined with a nice 
crust. Blueberry and blackberry pies are improved 
by adding a very little spice. Three or four table- 
spoonfuls of sugar are sufficient for most berry pies. 
Cover with a top crust and bake until well done in a 
moderate oven. Whortleberry pies are also better 
with a little spice; strawberry or raspberry pies do 
not need it. Berry pies are best cold, although they 
should not be kept more than one day before serving, 
-as no pies save mince, improve with age. 



Puddings. 



Chris TMAS Pudding. — Plain but excellent : Two 
quarts of stale bread (from which any brown crust 
has been cut) broken in small pieces ; put in a slow 
oven to dry, taking care it does not brown. Pour 
over it two quarts of milk, and let it stand where it 
will keep warm an hour, or longer if not well soak- 
ed. Beat it well, add six eggs well beaten, a cupful 
each of molasses and sugar, a cup of finely chopped 
suet, or two-thirds of a cup of butter, one and one- 
half pounds of raisins seeded, a teaspoonful of cin- 
namon, one-half teaspoonful each of clove and mace, 
two teaspoonfuls of salt, and half a nutmeg grated. 
More spice can be used if one likes. Butter a large 
pudding pan, or two smaller ones, pour in the pud- 
ding and bake in a slow oven, two hours if in small 
pans, from three to four hours if in a large one, cov- 
ering the top with a tin plate or cover when it 
browns. This pudding will keep nicely for several 
weeks, steaming till well heated through when used. 
Serve with any sauce preferred. 

Indian Pudding. — A real old-fashioned Indian 
pudding is made as follows : Scald a quart of milk, 
beat a scant cupful of corn meal with a cupful of mo- 
lasses and a teaspoonful of salt and stir into the boil- 
ing milk. Let it cook ten or fifteen minutes and set 



Puddings. 105 

aside to cool : add halF a pint of cold milk, a heaping 
teaspoonful of butter, a little allspice or clove and 
cinnamon, and two e<^gs well beaten, one will do if 
thev are not plent}', but two are better. Pour into a 
buttered pudding dish and bake in a steady oven 
three or four hours, the long^er the better. When it 
has baked nearly an hour, pour over it half a pint of 
cold milk, which must not be stirred, but allowed to 
soak in gradually. This pudding requires in all three 
pints of milk, and should be allowed to stand nearly 
half an hour after it is taken from the oven before it 
is served. In baking, if it should grow too brown, 
cover with a pan or thick plate. 

Indian Plodding. No. 3. — One cupful of corn 
meal, one cupful of molasses, one Q%^, one table- 
spoonful of butter, one pint of boiling water, one 
quart of hot milk, one scant teaspoonful of salt, one 
teaspoonful of cinnamon, or one-half teaspoonful all- 
spice Pour the boiling water over the meal, stirring 
till well mixed. Stir in the butter, salt and spice, add 
the molasses and the eg^ well beaten. Then stir in 
the hot milk. Pour into a buttered pudding pan and 
bake three hours in a moderate oven. A pint of 
sweet apple cut fine or sliced, added to this pudding, 
is liked by many people. A cupful of raisins is an- 
other favorite addition. 

Cracker Pudding. — Split eight crackers and 
break each half in two or three pieces, and put them 
in a pudding dish crust side up. Sprinkle over them 
one- third of a cup of currants. Beat three eggs, re- 
serving the whites of two for the sauce, and stir into a 
quart of milk, add half a teaspoonful of salt and four 



io6 Diiiiiiii' Room Notes. 



^) 



tablespoonfuls of sugar. Stir well togethei' and strain 
over the crackers. Let it stand half an hour — less 
will do if you are in haste — and bake twenty-five or 
thirty minutes. Although so simple, this is delic- 
ious. Always serve the cream same No. 3 with this 
pudding. 

Steamed Suet Pudding. — One cupful of milk, a 
scant cupful of finely chopped suet, or two table- 
spoonfuls of butter, one cupful of molasses, a scant 
teaspoonful of soda, a scant teaspoonful of salt if 
suet is used, two eggs, a cupful of raisins, and three 
cupfuls of flour. Steam in a buttered pan three 
hours. Serve with liquid sauce. In this or any 
other recipe calling for suet, one may use butter in- 
stead, in proportion of two iieaping tablespoonfuls of 
butter for a cup of suet. It is really better than suet 
and we generally use it. 

Rice Puddkng. — One heaping cupful oi cold boil- 
ed rice, one quart of milk, two eggs, a cup of sugar, 
and one-half teaspoonful of salt. Scald the rice in 
half the milk and stir till there are no lumps, add the 
pint of cold milk, the salt and the yolks of the eggs 
beaten to a cream with two-thirds of a cup of sugar. 
Flavor to taste, and bake about half an hour. When, 
done beat the whites of the two eggs with the re- 
mainder of the sugar and pour over the top. Return 
to the oven for a minute or two to brown lightly. A 
little jelly spread over the pudding before pouring 
the frosting over it, is very nice for a change. This is 
good warm or cold. 

Boiled Rice Pudding. — Wash one and one-half 
cupfuls of rice and let it soak in cold water an hour. 



/' u ddings . 1 07^ 

Drain and spread the rice on a strcMig cloth or napkin, 
in a round perhaps as large as a dinner phite. Peel*, 
quarter and core six or eight large tart apples and pile 
in the centre of the rice ; gather up the cloth and tie- 
rather closely, as a very little room is suthcient to al- 
low the rice to swell. Put into a kettle of cold wa- 
ter, salted, (a tablespoon even full of salt is enough ^ 
for four quarts of water), heat gradually and boil aiit 
hour. Serve with braided, ^%%, or cream sauce. . 
Sometimes we use a cupful of raisins, instead of the- 
apples, leaving rather more room f(;r the rice to- 
swell. 

Apple Dumplings. — One pint of tlour, one tea- 
spoonful of butter, three-fourths of a cupful of milk,, 
two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and one- fourth 
teaspoonful of salt. Mix precisely like the tea bis 
cuit, roll out about one-fourth of an inch in thickness, 
and cut in rounds with a large cutter, or a half pint 
bowl is an excellent substitute. Have tart, juicy ap- 
ples which will cook quickly, peeled, quartered and 
cored. Put four of the quarters into each of the 
rounds of dough, bringing it up about them and 
pinching well together. Put them, smooth side up, 
closely together on a buttered plate and steam from 
three-fourths of an hour to an hour. Or the apple 
may be put into a pudding dish and the crust rolled 
to cover it. Steam an hour. Serve with braided, 
clear, or cream sauce. 

Roll Pudding. — Three cupfuls of Hour, t)ne cup- 
ful and two tablespoonfuls of milk, one- third of a 
cupful of butter, and three teaspoonfuls of baking 
powder or two of cream of tartar and one of soda. 



jo8 Diniiii2 Room Ao/es. 

Mix precisely like the tea biscuit, on pa^e (34. Roll 
out in a strip three times as long as it is wide and 
about a third of an inch thick. Cover with berries, 
or tart, tender apples, cut in six or eight pieces, and 
roll up. Butter a strong cloth or napkin, sprinkle 
with flour and r(jll the pudding in it. Tie at each 
end. leaving a little rooni for the pudding to swell, 
jind put it on a plate in a steamer to cook an hour 
and a quarter. Serve with braided or liquid sauce. 
The Favorite sauce is delicious with these puddings. 

Snow Pidding. — Soak one-half box of gelatine 
in one-half cupful of cold water for half an hour. 
Then pour over it one cupful of boiling water and 
add tlie juice of one lemon. When the gelatine is 
dissolved strain it into a large bowl, add four table- 
spoonfuls of cold water and two cupfuls of sugar. 
Let it stand until cold and it begins to thicken. Then 
beat the whites of four eggs to a stiff froth and add 
to the gelatine, and beat all together with an egg 
whip or beater, until it is a solid froth as white as 
snow ; fifteen minutes of rapid beating ought to make 
so. Dip moulds into cold water and fill them with 
he snow. Keep in a refrigerator until hard. This 
pudding should be made several hours, six at least, 
before serving, and it will keep — if on ice where it 
will not soften, for a week, as nice as when first 
made. 

For the custard to serve with it, take the yolks of 
the eggs, three cupfuls of milk, one-fourth teaspoon - 
ful of salt, and one-half cupful of sugar, or more if 
desired. Scald the milk and stir in the eggs and sug- 
ar well beaten together ; stir till it thickens, then I'e- 



Puddings. 109 

move from the fire, add the salt and the grated peel 
from half a lemon, or a teaspoonful of lemon extract. 
Strain and put away to cool. Just before serving, 
whip one-half cupful of cream and add to the cus- 
tard, whip all to a froth and serve as soon as possible. 
Some people turn out the pudding into a deep dish 
and pour the custard round it. but we prefer serving 
the custard from a handsome glass pitcher, as the 
moulded snow makes a ver\' handsome dish. 

This is one of the handsomest desserts as well as 
one of the nicest for a summer dinner, and should be 
accompanied if possible b\ strawberries, bai^anas or 
peaches. 

Custard Pudding. — One quart of milk, four eggs, 
four tablespoonfuls of sugar, one-half teaspoonful of 
salt and a little nutmeg. Beat the eggs thoroughly 
and add to the milk. Stir well and strain, then add 
the sugar and salt and pour the custard into a baking 
dish. Grate a little nutmeg over the top, and place 
the dish in a deep plate or basin with a little water in 
it. Bake in a rather moderate oven for half an hour or 
a little longer. It should not be over done, and should 
be served cold. This is a convenient dessert to make 
whenever you wish the whites of eggs for a white 
cake, or other uses, as the custard is equally nice with- 
out them. 

Tapioca Pudding. — One cupful of pearled tapi- 
oca, one quart of milk, four eggs, reserving the 
whites of two, a little salt, and one-half cupful of sug- 
ar. vSoak the tapioca in the milk one hour, then add 
the eggs well beaten, the salt and sugar. Bake half 
an hour, stirrinir often durincc the first fifteen min- 



I lo Dining Rooni Notes. 

utes. For sauce beat the whites of the eggs to a stiti' 
froth, add one-half cupful of sugar, and flavor with 
lemon or vanilhi. 

Bread and Apple PiroDiNG. — Peel, quarter and 
core a dozen tart, juicy apples. They inay be chop- 
ped, but. not tine, if preferred. Chop or cut fine 
sufficient stale bread to make a quart of crumbs. 
Butter a pudding dish, put in a layer of bread crumbs 
and a layer of apples alternately, having a layer of 
the crumbs on top. Beat one ^^'g, stir it into a pint 
of milk, add a scant half teaspoonful of salt, and a 
heaping teaspoonful of butter, which the milk should 
be just warm enough to melt. Pour gently over the 
pudding, put bits of butter over the top and bake an 
hour, covering after it begins to brown. Serve with 
liquid or braided sauce. 

We also prepare the bread and apple in the same 
way, using a pint of warm water without the ^'g'g, 
merely the salt and butter. This pudding should be 
steamed instead of baked, and is really very good, 
served with a nice sauce. Both are real '' economy " 
puddings. We vary the same occasionally by divid- 
ing the bread into three parts, and between each 
layer putting raisins or currants instead of apples. 
Dry cake may be used in place of bread, stale sponge 
cake being very nice. 

Blueberry Pudding. — One cup of milk, two 
even cups of flour, one ^%%, a heaping teaspoonful of 
butter, half a teaspoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of 
cream of tartar, and half a teaspoonful of soda, or 
two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Stir in a pint 
of blueberries, taking care not to l:)reak them. Pour 



Puddings. I I I 

into a buttered pudding- dish antl .steam one hour. 
Serve with any sauce preferred. Blackberries are 
very nice in these puddings, so are peaches or ap 
pies, both of which should be cut in small pieces. 

Corn Starch Puddings. — Plain corn starch blanc 
jiiange, the directions for which come on every box, 
is a foundation for many nice dishes. It is nice pour- 
ed into a dish about two inches deep — a tin plate 
with straight sides is very nice to keep on hand for 
such purposes — and when cold cut in squares, and 
served with a soft boiled custard, which should be 
very cold. Or the blanc mange may be sweetened 
and poured into a tin plate not more than an inch in 
depth. When cold, turn out on a platter, cover 
with strawberries or raspberries in their season, and 
sift sugar over thickly, when sent to the table. Serve 
with whipped cream if you have it, if not, soft cus- 
tard is very nice. Sliced peaches are delicious in 
place of berries. In the winter canned peaches or 
quince, or apple, drained from the syrup, will be 
found very nice, or apples peeled and halved with 
the core cut out, may be steamed and laid over the 
top, sometimes being frosted with the whites of two 
eggs, and four tablespoonfuls of sugar. Set the 
plate in a dripping pan o^ cold water, and put in a 
very quick oven till the frosting is a delicate brown 

Make the soft custard by heating a pint of milk in 
a double boiler, or in a pail set in a kettle of boiling 
water, add a pinch of salt, and when hot stir in a 
heaping teaspoonful of flour mixed smootli with a 
little cold milk. Stir till it is well cooketi, t'.ien add 
the yolks of two eggs beaten to a cream with three 



1 3 2 



Dniiiio- Room Notes. 



tablespo<)nful> of sugar. vStir for n minute or two, 
and when it begins to thicken, remove immediately, 
flavor to taste, and when cold, if I have no other use 
for the whites of the eggs, 1 beat them to a froth, 
^jTid beat all together w-ith an t^^ beater to a foam. 

There is also a simple pudding which can be made 
m a few minutes, and is very convenient in case one 
has little time to spend on dessert. Scald a quart of 
water, and stir into it four tablespoonfuls of corn 
starch mixed with a little water, and half a teaspoon- 
ful of salt, and stir till thick and smooth. Add one 
^^^ well beaten, and remove from the fire. Pour 
mto a pretty dish, and serve warm with a liquid 
sauce. Made with milk instead of water it is very 
nice with a cupful of desiccated cocoanut stirred in 
just before removing from the fire. Cocoanut is much 
like currants and raisins, in not requiring a special 
recipe for its use, being a palatable addition to many 
simple puddings. 

Neapoi. iTAN Blanc Mangk which we make 
very often is a great favorite with us ; is as nice for 
tea as for dessert, and is especially nice for children's 
tea parties, being very simple and at the same time 
one of the prettiest dishes imaginable. For one you 
will need three pints of milk, (I let the milk stand 
over night, and remove the cream to whip, ) a little 
corn starch, sugar and flavoring, nothing very expen- 
sive. Put a pint of the milk into a double boiler, or 
a pail set in a kettle of hot water, stir two tablespoon- 
fuls, (rounding full) and a teaspoonful of corn starch, 
with just milk enough to mix smooth, taking a little 
from the boiler for that purpose, and when the milk 



Puddif/fTs. I r 



'.s 



is hot. hilt not >cahhn<j;-. pour in the corn starch, 
add a pinch ot" salt and two heapint^ table 
spoonfuls of sugar. Stir till thick and smooth. Re 
move from the tire, add half a teaspoon ful of rose 
extract, and one-half teaspoonful of pokeherry jelly, 
or just enough rose pink or cochineal extract, which 
\ou can buy at any druggists, to give a handsome 
pink shade. Pour it in a cake tin, three or four inch 
es wide, and eight or nine long, and put it away to 
cool. The tin should be dipped into cold water just 
before the blanc mange is poured in. Wash your 
boiler, put into it another pint of milk, and proceed 
as before. When } our blanc mange is done, flavor 
it with lemon— this is whitcT— and pour it into the tir. 
containing the pink, which is cold by this time. Set 
this away to cool, put another pint of milk on to heat, 
grate two teaspoonfuls of chocolate, and put it in a 
cup, place it in a dish of hot water to melt, and when 
the blanc mange is smooth stir in the chocolate, re- 
move from the tire and add half a teaspoonful of va 
nilla. Pour this over the blanc mange in the pan, 
and keep cool till the next day, when it will turn out 
smooth, and will keep several days if cold. It is 
served in slices, with whipped cream, which should 
be sweetened a little, but not flavored. 

Pop Corn Pudding. — Roll a pint of freshly pop 
ped corn, add to it one and one half pints of milk, 
half a cup of sugar, three eggs well beaten, and half 
a teaspoonful of salt. A little nutmeg may be added 
if liked. We use no spice with ours. Bake like any 
custard, t\yenty minutes ought to be sutiicient. If 
overdone it is not nice. 



! 14 Dining Room Notes. 

Corn Custard Pudding. — Four tablespoonfuls of 
meal, two eggs, six even tablespoonfuls of sugar, and 
a scant teaspoonful of salt to a quart of milk. Scald 
the meal in a pint of the milk, then stir in the cold 
milk and other ingredients. Grate nutmeg over it 
or use a little cinnamon as preferred, and bake half 
an hour. 

CocoANUT Pudding. — Three cupfuls of milk, 
three crackers rolled fine, two eggs well beaten, one- 
half cupful of desiccated cocoanut. Sweeten and 
salt to taste, pour into a buttered pudding dish, 
and grate a little nutmeg over it. Bake from 
twenty minutes to half an hour. Serve hot or cold, 
as preferred. 

Sago Pudding. — Make precisely like tapioca pud- 
ding, or a simple rule is as follows : Soak four table- 
spoonfuls of sago in a pint of milk fifteen or twenty 
minutes ; then place the dish in a pan of hot water, 
until the sago is clesr. Cool, add one cupful of milk, 
two Q%%'^ well beaten, one half cupful of sugar, one- 
half teaspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of lemon 
extract. Bake from fifteen minutes to half an hour. 

Botii sago and tapioca make delicious puddings, 
with apples and peaches, as follows : One cupful of 
sago or tapioca, one quart of cold water with one 
teaspoonful of salt dissolved in it. Soak one-half 
hour. Fill a two- quart pudding dish half full of 
quartered apples or halved peaches, and pour the 
sago or tapioca and water over. Bake it in a moder- 
ate oven an hour. Serve with a rich sauce or whip- 
ped cream. Sometimes we frost the puddings and 



Puddings. ii 



serve cold witli whipped cream and sugar. These 
puddings are very nice, although so simple, and are 
very easily prepared. 

Macaroni Pudding. — One quart of milk, three 
eggs, one pint of macaroni broken in inch pieces, 
two-thirds of a cupful of sugar and a teaspoonful of 
salt. Soak the macaroni one-half hour in cold wa 
ter, then drain, put it in a double boiler, or in a dish 
set in hot water and pour over it a pint of milk. Beat 
the eggs — reserving the whites of two, which must 
be put where they will be kept cool — and add them 
to the remaining pint of milk with the sugar and 
salt. If the macaroni is soft and well swollen, which 
it should be after cooking ten or fifteen minutes, pour 
it into a pudding dish and when cooled a little, strain 
the custard over it. Bake from twenty minutes to 
half an hour. When done, pour a frosting over the 
top made from the whites of the two eggs, and four 
even tablespoonfuls of sugar, and return to the oven 
to brown slightly. Sometimes we let the pudding 
cool a little and spread a layer of jam or marmalade 
over it before putting on the frosting. 

Sponge Cake Pudding. — Put a pint of milk in a 
double boiler, or in a pail which will fit in the top of 
a teakettle ; add a little salt and four tablespoonfuls 
of sugar, then mix three tablespoonfuls of flour in 
half a cup of cold milk and stir in when the milk is 
scalding hot, stir till it thickens, and let it cook ten 
minutes, add the yolk of one Q'g<g well beaten, cook 
live minutes and remove from the tire. Slice some 
stale sponge cake very thin, less than one-quarter of 
an inch. Put a few teaspoonfuls of the warm cus- 



ii6 Dining Room Notes. 

tard in a flat dish, a thick ghiss uiie whicli can be set 

in the oven is the best — and next a layer of the cake, 

then spread the cake with a thin hiyer of jam, or 

jelly, or preserves, grated cocoanut, sliced peaches, or 

fresh strawberries ; there is no limit to the variety. 

Grated pineapple is delicious. Then another layer of 

cake, and pour over it the remainder of the custard, 

which should have been kept warm. Beat the white 

of the ^^^ to a stiff froth, add two tablespoonfuls of 

sugar, and beat till smooth, put it over the top of the 

custard, set the dish in a tin plate half full of warm 

water and set in a hot oven for two or three minutes, 

just enough to brown the frosting; Take out and put 

in a cool place until cool enough to put on the ice. 

This is very simple, inexpensive and easy to make. 

We usually make it in the morning, which gives 

plenty of time for it to ,cret cold for dinner, or it will 

keep for a day or two. 

Sago Cream. — Soak two tablespoonfuls (jf sago 
half an hour in a cupful of warm water. Drain off 
the water, if any is left to drain, and put the sago in 
a double boiler with a pint of milk and a little salt. 
Beat the yolks of two eggs with four tablespoonfuls 
of sugar to a cream, and when the milk is hot stir in 
the Q^% and sugar, stirring constantly till it thickens, 
when it must be immediately removed from the fire. 
Flavor to taste — we prefer vanilla — and pour into 
custard glasses or a dish which will hold it. Beat the 
whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, add three table- 
spoonfuls of sugar and beat till smooth, pile it on the 
cream and set it in the oven to brown, [f in glass, 
remember to set it in water and it will not break. 
Serve verv cold. 



Puddings. 117 

Tapioca Cream. — Make precisely like sago 
cream. 

Chocolate Cream. — Put a quart of milk in a 
double boiler, add a little salt, and when hot stir in 
three tablespoonfuls of flour mixed smooth with a 
little milk. When it thickens add the yolks of three 
eg^gs beaten to a cream with six tablespoonfuls of 
sugar. Let it cook three or four minutes and remove 
from the tire. Flavor with vanilla and pour into a 
pretty glass dish. Beat the whites of the eggs to a 
stiff froth, add three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and 
when well beaten add three tablespoonfuls of grated 
chocolate. Spread it over the cream and brown it 
in the oven as the others are done. These creams 
may be made in the morning, or the day before they 
are needed, and are as nice for supper as for dessert, 

Charlotte Russe. — One-half pint of milk, one 
pint of cream, one- half box of gelatine, two eggs, 
one cupful of sugar and two teaspoonfuls of va- 
nilla. Put the gelatine in a bowl with two table- 
spoonfuls of cold water to soften, heat the milk to the 
l)oiling point and pour over it. Keep hot, stirring 
occasionally until the gelatine is dissolved, then strain, 
boiling hot, over the yolks of the eggs and sugar, 
which have been beaten to a cream ; keep hot two or 
three minutes and set aside to cool. Whip the cream, 
and when the gelatine is cool, beat till it stiffens a lit- 
tle. Add the cream and vanilla, stir well together, 
and pour into moulds lined with small sponge cakes, 
lady-fingers are best, or macaroons. Keep on ice 
several hours, or until next day. Turn out on a hand- 
some dish to serve. For the cake, if home made, 

H 



ii8 Dining Room Notes. 

prepare a nice sponge cake mixture, line a dripping" 
pan or biscuit tins with paper, slightly buttered, and 
drop the mixture upon it with a teaspoon, a scant tea- 
spoonful in each cake, or still less if one likes. Put 
about two inches apart and bake in a rather quick 
oven. 

Charlotte Russe. No. 2. — One pint of cream, 
one-half pint of milk, one-third box of gelatine, two- 
thirds of a cupful of sugar, and a teaspoonful of va- 
nilla. Put the gelatine and milk into a double boiler, 
or a bowl placed in a dish of boiling water, until the 
gelatine is dissolved. Strain and set aside to cool. 

When cool stir in the cream and sugar, and beat 
with an ^'g^ whip or beater to a froth. When it is 
very light, and begins to stiffen, pour into cake-lined 
moulds as in preceding recipe, Oi mould plain, serv- 
ing with some nice cake. 

Coffee Cream — One-half pint of boiling water, 
one heaping tablespoonful of coffee, one-fourth box 
of gelatine, one-half pint of cream, and one-half cup- 
ful of sugar. Put the coffee in a bowl and pour the 
boiling water over it. Put the bowl covered closely 
in a dish of boiling water for fifteen minutes, then 
strain it over the gelatine. Do not think the coffee 
left from breakfast will do as well, or that it may be 
boiled. Made in this manner, if it is more trouble, 
will save the fragrant flavor of the coffee. When the 
gelatine is dissolved strain it, and when cold, but be- 
fore it begins to stiffen, stir in the sugar, and the 
cream which has been whipped to a stiff froth. Mix 
quickly and lightly together and pour into a mould. 
Keep on ice from six to twelve hours before turning 



Puddings. n^ 

out. This quantity fills a quart mould. Two ounces 
of chocolate (melted before using) maybe used in- 
stead of the coffee, adding a teaspoonful of vanilla to 
the cream. 

French Cream.— One-half box of gelatine, three 
cupfuls of rich milk, one scant cupful of sugar, four 
eggs, two teaspoonfuls of vanilla, and one-fourth tea- 
spoonful of salt. Put the gelatine and milk into a 
double boiler, and beat the yolks of the eggs and 
the sugar to a cream. When the gelatine is dissolved 
stir in the ^^^ and sugar and salt ; let it cook two or 
three minutes, stirring constantly. 

The whites of the eggs must be beaten to a very 
stiff froth and poured into a large bowl. When the 
custard is cooked, strain boiling hot on the beaten 
whites, add the vanilla, stir rapidly until well mixed, 
and pour into moulds. Keep on ice at least ten or 
twelve hours to harden. 

Whipped Cream.— To each cupful of good cream 
—not more than twenty-four hours old, or double 
cream, allow three teaspoonfuls of sugar. Beat with 
a whip or an ^^<g beater to a stiff froth, taking care it 
is not whipped too much, or it will become butter. 
Flavor with one-half teaspoonful of vanilla, or a lit- 
tle strawberry or pineapple juice. Pile it in a pretty 
glass dish and serve with cake. This is a verv sim- 
ple rule, but always successful if the cream i.s" fresh, 
and very cold. One cupful of cream will make at 
least a pint when whipped. 



Pudding Sauces. 



Egg Sauce. — One cupful of sugar, a tablespoon ful 
of butter, two eggs, a little salt, and a teaspoonful of 
vanilla, or any flavoring preferred. Mix the butter 
and sugar to a cream, add the yolks of the eggs, and 
beat until very light. Beat the whites to a stiff froth 
and stir in, add salt and flavoring and beat well to- 
gether. This is especially good for apple or berry 
dumplings. Lemon is nice to flavor it when used for 
apple puddings, but should not be used for other 
fruits. When a plainer sauce is desired, leave out the 
butter. 

Egg Sauce. No. 2. — Boil half a pint of water, add 
one-half teaspoonful of salt, and thicken with two 
tablespoonfuls of flour mixed smooth with as little 
cold water as possible. Stir till thick and smooth, 
stir in a teaspoonful of butter and let it cool. Beat 
the yolks of two eggs and a cup of sugar to a cream, 
and stir into the cold paste. Flavor with one tea- 
spoonful of vanilla, stir till smooth, add the whites of 
the eggs beaten to a stiff* froth, and beat to a foam. 
This sauce is also very nice for all fruit puddings. 

French Sauce. — One cupful of sugar, one and 
one-half cupfuls of milk, a heaping teaspoonful of 
flour, salt and flavoring to taste. Heat a cupful of 
the milk, mix the flour smooth with the remainder, 



Pudding Sauces. 121 

and when the milk is scalding hot stir in the flour, 
and let it simmer till it thickens, stirring all the time. 
Add the yolk of the ^zz beaten with a little of the 
sugar, and remove from the fire immediately. Add 
the rest of the sugar, the salt and flavoring, and the 
white of the &%%, beaten to a froth. Beat all together 
until it foams. 

Cream Sauce. — One cup of rich, sweet cream, 
two tablespoonfuls of milk or water, one-half cup of 
sugar, a little salt, and a teaspoonful of vanilla. Beat 
to a froth. The milk or water will prevent its cur- 
dling if it is fresh. This is very nice for blanc mange, 
etc. It may be varied by adding a little strawberry 
juice when the berries are very ripe and sweet, or a 
little pineapple juice, to obtain which, grate part of a 
ripe pineapple and strain it through a thin cloth. 

Cream Sauce. No. 2. — A delicious pudding 
sauce is made by beating the whites of two eggs to a 
froth, add a cup of sugar, and when thick and smooth 
stir in a cupful of whipped cream. Flavor slightly, 
or not at all, as you prefer. It is very nice on the 
simple puddings made with tapioca or sago, water 
and fruit. 

Liquid Sauce. — Boil a cupful of sugar and two 
cupfuls of water two or three minutes, and add a ta- 
blespoonful of corn starch mixed smooth with a little 
cold water. Stir till it thickens, add one-fourth tea- 
spoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of butter, and remove 
from the fire. Flavor with lemon, vanilla or nutmeg, 
and serve hot. 

RAIDED Sauce. — One heaping tablespoonful of 
butter, and one cupful of sugar (coffee sugar is best,) 



123 Dining Room Notes. 

beaten to a smooth cream. Make into a pyramid on . 
a pretty plate and sift grated nutmeg over it, or fla- 
vor the sauce with vanilla or lemon, beating it well ' 
in. The white of one ^^'g beaten to a stifl froth add- 
ed to this sauce, beating all together, makes it very .J 
delicate and creamy. \ 

Favorite Sauce. — One cupful of sugar, one cup- ] 

ful of water, one cupful of cream, one-half teaspoon- ' 

ful of salt, and four teaspoonfuls of corn starch. 
Dissolve the sugar in the water and let it heat grad- 
ually. When hot stir in the corn starch mixed smooth 
with a little cold water, add the salt and stir until 
clear. Then remove from the fire, and when cold 
whip the cream, stir it into the sauce, and whip to- 
gether for two or three minutes. 

This sauce is delicious for all fruit puddings. It 
may be flavored if one prefers with vanilla or ex- 
tract of cinnamon ; lemon is not so nice with cream 
sauces, unless when served with apple puddings. 



Tea, Coffee, Etc. 



Tea. — In order to make good tea it Is necessary to 
remember four things : First, that the tea should be 
of good quahty. Second, that the teapot should be 
of earthenware or china. Third, that the water 
should be actively boiling when poured over the tea, 
and, lastly, that the tea should never be allowed to 
boil, or to steep more than ten minutes. Seven is 
the English rule, which we follow. One teaspoonful 
of tea is the usual allowance for each cupful of wa- 
ter, and both tea and water should be carefully meas- 
ured. Rinse the teapot in boiling water immediately 
before putting the tea in it, and after pouring the wa- 
ter over the tea the teapot should be placed in a ket- 
tle of boiling water. It keeps at an intense heat yet 
cannot boil, and the tea retains the fine aroma of the 
leaves, which is always lost through boiling or long 
steeping, to say nothing of the unwholsome proper- 
ties brought out by either. Do not think it will da 
just as well to steep the tea in anything, the old tin 
teapot for instance, and then pour into a handsome 
one to carry to the table. Steeped in the proper way 
no injury can come to the handsome china. Cream 
and sugar should be served, pouring the tea over the 
cream when one knows the quantity of cream de- 
sired. Sliced lemon is often served with tea, putting 



124 Dining Room Notes. 

a slice with one or two lumps of sugar in the cup be- 
fore pouring- the tea. The flavor is delicious. The 
lemons should be carefull}- washed and cut in thin 
slices, removing the seeds, and brought to the table 
on a pretty dish, glass or china is preferable to silver. 
Lemon is very nice served with iced tea. 

Coffee also 'requires carefulness in measuring and 
making, yet is so easily made that it is astonishing to 
find so few people who can serve a cup of really 
good coffee. An earthenware coffee pot is prefer- 
able to anv other. Tin should never be used if one 
can avoid it, and on economical grounds if no other, 
for a tin coffee pot which has been used until discol- 
ored and blackened inside is unfit for use, and it is 
impossible to make good or wholsome coffee in such. 
We have three good rules for making coffee. For 
all, the measures are alike, one generous tablespoon- 
ful of freshly ground coffee to each half pint of wa- 
ter. Mocha and Java coffee, half of each, is our fa- 
vorite mixture. 

No. I. Wash a fresh ^^^ and beat, shell and all, 
with the desired amount of coffee, (one ^^^ is suffi- 
cient for four tablespoonfuls), and put it in the coffee 
pot with one-half cupful of cold water. Stir well 
and pour over it the needed quantity of actively boil- 
ing water. Place where it will steep well, but not 
reach the boiling point for fifteen minutes. Bring it 
to the front of the stove for two or three minutes, but 
do not let it boil. Let it stand a minute to settle and 
send to table. Serve the cream cold or hot, as pre- 
fered. If milk is added it should be always hot. The 
cream and sugar should be put into the cups, pouring 
the coffee over it. 



Tea, Coffee, Etc. 125 

No. 2. Put the coffee into the coffee pot with the 
desired quantity of cold water, and an ^^^ shell or a 
piece of carefully washed and dried codfish SK:in 
about one-half inch square, or the whole ^%%-> as pre- 
ferred. Place where it will heat very gradually, un- 
til it reaches the boiling point, but remove before it 
actually boils. Twenty minutes should be allowed 
for the steeping process. 

No. 3. Put the coffee and boiling w^ater in the cof- 
fee pot, and place it in a kettle of boiling water to 
steep for fifteen minutes. This is the simplest method 
of coffee making, but will make excellent coffee. 
None but the best cofl'ee should ever be used, and the 
careful housekeeper will learn by a little practice 
just how much to make in order that no coffee may 
be left. "Warmed over" coffee is as unpalatable as 
it is unwholsome. Anv intelligent physician will 
tell you the injurious effects of "' boiled over" coffee 
or tea. 

Coffee pots should be carefully washed and dried. 
If flannel bags or filterers are used, they should be 
boiled daily and dried in the open air, replacing often 
with new. 

Chocolate is excellent made in the following pro- 
portions : Two squares or ounces of chocolate, one- 
half pint of water, one pint of milk, and three scant 
teaspoonfuls of sugar. Put the milk into a double 
boiler to heat, break the chocolate and put it in a 
bowl placed in boiling water. Pour one-half pint of 
boiling water into the chocolate pot. When the 
chocolate is melted stir the sugar into it and pour it 
into the boiling water. Stir till it boils and add the 



126 Dining Room Notes. 

scalding milk, rinsing the bowl with a little of the 
milk, as it is difficult to scrape out all the chocolate. 
Stir rapidly or whip with an ^^^ beater to a froth. 
When it boils, send to table immediately. A little 
whipped cream improves it. Cold milk should be 
passed about the table with cliocolate. 

Cocoa. — Cracked cocoa is a favorite with us, 
and, unlike almost everything else, it can hardly be 
boiled too much. Two-thirds of a cupful of the 
cocoa to a pint and a half of cold water ; put it on 
in the morning and let it cook slowly all day, add- 
ing boiling water as it boils away. Add a pint 
and a half of hot milk ten or fifteen minutes be- 
fore serving, or serve like cofiee. 

For the prepared cocoas the recipes that come 
with each can are generally good, though some- 
times too strong. Epps' cocoa we make precisely 
by the given directions, Baker's we make as fol- 
lows ; put the boiling w\ater in a sauce- pan or 
earthen teapot, mix the cocoa smooth with a little 
of the water, and when it boils pour in the milk 
which should be boiling hot, let it boil two or three 
minutes and serve. Broma is prepared in the 
same way. 

Shells. — Among the most delicate of all the vari- 
eties of cocoa. We find the '' shells," which, properly 
prepared, makes a delicious drink, especially nice for 
invalids or nervous people — who are after all really 
invalids — being lighter than any of the prepared 
cocoas, broma, etc. A cupful of shells should be al- 
lowed for a pint and a half of cold water Heat 
gradually and boil ten minutes, add a pint and a half 



Tea^ Coffee^ Etc. 137 

of boiling milk and boil ten niinutCvS longer. One 
thing in favor of shells is, that it is an article that 
cannot be adulterated. That sold in bulk by the 
grocers is not so nice as that which comes in pack- 
ages from a pound upwards. One can always order 
from the manufacturers, thus securing a good article ; 
it is not expensive, being about fifteen cents a pound 
for the best. 

Crust Coffee. — Which is excellent for invalids, 
or those with whom coflfee does not agree should be 
made as follows. Put a pint of coarse corn meal into 
a bowl and pour over it a pint of boiling water. Stir 
till well mixed, add a cupful of cold water, a table- 
spoonful of molasses, a pinch of salt and a pint of 
coarse wheat or oatmeal. Stir well together, dust a 
dripping pan with corn meal and pour in the batter. 
Spread evenly in the pan and bake until well brown- 
ed in a hot oven. When ready to make the coffee 
split the cake, put it into the oven to brown, taking* 
great care that it does not scorch, break it in pieces 
and put it into a large earthen coffee pot or pitcher. 
Half the cake will be sufficient for a quart of boiling 
water. Cover closely and simmer for an hour or 
longer. Serve with cream and sugar. 



Preserves, Jellies, Etc. 



IT^E ARE glad to see the growing desire for can- 
VV ned fruits, which are fast taking the place of 
the richer '' pound for pound " preserves of old days ; 
which, delicious as they are, are much less wholesome 
and can be used but sparingly. 

But the canning process gives the majority of 
housekeepers the comfort of serving fruits at their 
tables the greater part of the year when fresh fruits 
are only within reach of the wealthy few. 

Fruit to be canned should be selected with care. If 
not quite ripe, or if over-ripe it will not keep. Many 
an inexperienced house-keeper has condemned a 
good recipe because her fruit did not keep well, when 
the fault lay with the fruit itself Care also should 
be taken that the jars and rubber rings are per- 
fect. If the jars have been used it is safer to buy 
new rings every year. They are always kept by the 
dealers in fruit jars, in quantity, and are sold for a 
few cents a dozen. One should always give the 
name and size of her jars in buying these rings as 
they vary much. 

With good cans, ripe fruit, a reliable recipe, and 
plenty of paper wraps, one ought never to have any 
trouble in keeping canned fruit, as long as it will last. 
The next morning after canning fruit, if any jar is 



Preserves^ yellies^ Etc. 129 

not quite full, fill it with a little boiling syrup. If 
there was none left for the purpose boil a little in the 
proportion of one-half cup of sugar to a cupful of 
water, and fill the jars. If the fruit is put up without 
sugar, use boiling water. Then screw on all the top>^ 
as tight as possible. If they were perfectly tight 
yesterday, some of them will be a little loose now 
that the jars are cold, and wrap each jar in thick pa- 
per. This is one of the most important points. All 
canned fruit should be kept in a cool, dry, and dark 
place, but the simple precaution of wrapping each 
jar in paper saves much trouble. Tomatoes are es- 
pecially benefited by this method, and all fruit keeps 
the color and flavor better if each jar has its paper 
wrap. 

We paste slips of paper on which the name of the 
fruit is written on each wrap, thus saving the trouble 
of opening the papers to see whether we have pears, 
peaches or berries. 

Peaches. — In canning peaches we sometimes use 
them whole, but generally halve them to remove the 
stones, as they are apt to crack and give too much of 
their flavor to the fruit to render it wholsome We 
halve and stone the fruit before peeling it, as there is 
not the danger of breaking which there is if the 
tough peel is first removed. Weigh the fruit and put 
it in a porcelain kettle with a half pint of water to 
to each pound of fruit. Heat gradually and boil 
slowly for twenty minutes, or until a fork will pierce 
the fruit easily. There is so much difference in the 
many varieties of peaches as to cooking, that it is im- 
possible to give the time to a minute. Dip out the boil- 



130 Dining Room Notes. 

ing fruit into your jars, filling them two-thirds or 
three-quarters full. When the fruit is all out, pour 
in the juice, and screw on the tops immediately. 
Canned in this manner without sngar, peaches retain 
to a remarkable degree the fine flavor of the fresh 
fruit, and are delicious for pies, cream puddings, etc., 
or served with whipped cream for dessert. When 
wanted for the table, open the jars an hour perhaps 
before they are to be served, pouring out the fruit 
part at a time, sprinkling sugar over each layer, and 
over the top. They are so like fresh peaches that 
one would scarcely believe them to be canned. When 
peaches are canned whole, we often dip them in 
boiling water, after which the peel can be easily re- 
moved. 

Pears. — Pears require one half pint of water to 
each pound of fruit, the tart varieties, such as the 
Bartletts, etc., need also one-half pound of sugar to 
each pound of fruit. Sweet varieties, like the Seck- 
els, require but one pound of sugar to three of fruit. 
Large pears should be peeled and halved and the 
cores removed, Seckels and other small pears are 
peeled and the blossom end is removed, but a short 
fstem left on. Pears, too, need boiling very gently 
and until well done. From twenty to thirty minutes 
is usually sufficient. Five minutes before removing 
from the fire (or when a fork will pierce the fruit 
easily), add the sugar, stir gently, and as soon as it 
has well boiled up fill the jars with the pears, (we 
use a large silver fork for the purpose) pour in the 
boiling juice and screw on the tops immediately. 

Plums. — Pour boiling water over the fruit in order 



Preserves^ ydlies^ Etc. 131 

to remove the skins readily, after which weigh and 
put them into the preserving kettle with the same 
amount of water as for peaches and pears. Boil gen- 
tly for twenty minutes, then add the sugar, one- half 
pound to each pound of fruit Let it boil up and can 
immediately. Some very sweet plums of the white 
and yellow varieties are nice with one pound of sugar 
to three pounds of fruit, but most plums develop a de- 
cided acidity when cooked. 

Crab Apples are canned precisely as we can 
pears with two exceptions ; the apples are not peel- 
ed, simply washed and the blossom end removed — 
which necessitates very fair, perfect fruit, and after 
the fruit is cooked through like the pears, and the 
sugar added, they should be allowed to boil gently 
five minutes. 

Quince. — Wash the fruit — the orange quince is the 
best variety — peel, quarter, and remove the cores. 
Weigh the Iruit, and for each three pounds put one 
quart of water into the preserving kettle. When 
boiling hot put in as much of the fruit as will float ; 
if packed closely the pieces break easily. Cook 
slowly until tender, which usually takes about twen- 
ty minutes. Then remove the quince carefully to a 
large platter (as it must not be piled sufficiently for 
the weight to break the fruit) and put another layer 
•of fruit in to cook. 

When all is done add sugar to the water in which 
the fruit has been boiled, one- half pound for each 
pound of fruit, and when dissolved and the syrup 
boils, put in sufficient fruit to fill a jar, boil slowly five 
minutes, and pour carefully into the can. Proceed in 



132 Dinuig Room Notes. 

this manner until the quince is all cooked, then til! the 
jars with the boiling syrup and screw on the tops. 

Berries for canning should be as freshly picked 
as possible, and washed by putting a quart at a time 
in a colander and dipping carefully into a large pan 
of cold water. Let them stand for a minute and 'ift 
the colander carefully. 

If the water is not clear fill the pan again and dip 
the berries once more. Then drain and pour into a 
dish to weigh. By this means all the dust or grit 
from which few berries are free is done away with, 
without injuring the berries, as is done by washing in 
the usual manner. 

Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries 
AND Blueberries are canned as follows : Pick the 
fruit carefully and wash as directed above. Drain 
thoroughly, weigh and put into a porcelain kettle, 
heating gradually. Weigh the sugar — granulated is 
best — and allow one pound to each three pounds of 
fruit; put it in a dripping pan and place it in the 
oven, leaving the door open if the oven is hot. Stir 
occasionally until warmed through. Let the fruit boil 
five minutes, add the warm sugar slowly, and stir 
gently to dissolve the sugar, being careful not to break 
the fruit. Let it just boil up, and can immediately, 
filling the jars as soon as possible. 

Currants. — Pick and wash carefully ; weigh, and 
to each pound allow one-half pound of sugar. Pro- 
ceed as in above directions. 

Rhubarb. — Peel and cut the stalks in small pieces, 
weigh, and to each allow one-half pound of sugar. 



Preserves^ Jellies^ Etc. \if^ 

Put fruit and sugar together into the preserving kct" 
tie, let it heat gradually and boil slowly fifteen min- 
utes. We sometimes can rhubarb, also blackberries, 
without sugar. They retain the flavor and are not so 
juicy as when cooked with sugar, being excellent for 
pies, shortcakes, etc., adding sugar when we use 
them. 

Apples, unless one can keep them fresh until very 
late in the spring, should be canned in large quanti- 
ties, either in the fall when they are generally cheap 
and plenty, or in the spring, when it will be found a 
very convenient manner of disposing of the barrel of 
choice greenings or baldwins, which show an aggra- 
vating and depraved disposition to keep no longer. 
At this time, too, most of us have a quantity of emp- 
ty fruit jars which have been emptied of their con- 
tents during the winter. The apples should be peel- 
ed, quartered and cored, and put into a dish of cold 
water till ready for the kettle. Cook thoroughly and 
yet as quickly as possible, slow cooking giving a dark 
color. 

Sometimes we can them without sugar. It is a 
good plan to put up several cans in this manner if the- 
apples are good. They often retain their delicioue' 
fresh flavor, but unless very sound and nice they will 
not keep so well without sugar, one pound of whi'ch; 
to four pounds of fruit is a good rule. Water (boil- 
ing) to just cook the fruit should be used ; if the ap- 
ples are very juicy there should not be enough water 
used to cover while cooking. Can hot and screw on' 
the tops immediately. Keep in a cool, dry closet, 
wrapped in paper. Sometimes we open a jar of 

I 



134 Dining RootJi Notes. 

^quince and tnix with sufficient apple to fill four or 
ifive jars^ putting it in the kettle to boil with the ap- 
;ple. It ^ives a nice flavor and makes a little variety. 
For those who have little other fruit these canned 
.apples will prove a valuable addition to their daily 
fare. Pies and shortcakes — the latter are delicious — 
are easily prepared for desserts. A dish of whole- 
some and delicious sauce is always at hand for the 
tea table, and the expense is slight, almost noth- 
ing, compared with the price asked for the '• canned 
fruit '^ in market. 

Cherries. — These are among the most delicious 
of our canned fruits. Select large, ripe cherries, 
wash them, cut in halves, and remove the stones and 
stems. Weigh, and to each pound of fruit allow one- 
half pound of sugar — unless for the very sweet varie- 
ties, which require but one third sugar. 

P,uft with the fruit in a porcelain kettle, heat grad- 
ually, -stirriwg occasionally ver}' gently until the sugar 
is dissolved. Boil from fifteen to twenty minutes and 
can loii mediately. 

Tomatoes. — Select firm and not over-ripe fruit. 
Dip into boiling water and remove the skins, and cut 
into halves and quarters, according to the size. Put 
into .a porcelain kettle and boil ten minutes. Can 
imiTked lately. 

Sometimes we cool the tomatoes and sift, then re- 
turn to tJie kettle and bring to the boiling point, and 
pour into the cans. For seasoning soups, etc., it is 
very nice, and many prefer it as sauce without the 
seeds. Tomatoes must be freshly picked or they will 
not keep well. 



Presci'ves, Jellies, Etc. 135 

Orange Marmalade. — This is very delicate and 
especially nice for invalids. Grate the yellow rind of 
two from each dozen oranges, then peel and cut the 
fruit in small pieces and remove all the seed. Put it 
into a porcelain kettle, heat gradually, and boil gently 
ten minutes. Stir in the grated rind, and remove from 
the fire. When cool sift it. and to each pint allov^ a 
pound of sugar. Return to the kettle, heat slowly, 
stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Let it 
boil gently, stirring occasionally during the first half 
hour, then constantly for fifteen minutes. Sometimes 
it requires a little longer to cook, there being such a 
difference in oranges. When done pour into jelly 
glasses, and when cold, and dry on the top, cover 
with sugar, and tie paper over. It is delicious to 
spread between cakes instead of jelly, to use in a 
sponge cake pudding, etc. Never stir this, or in fact 
any fruit, with an iron spoon. If too stiff to use sil- 
ver, use a wooden spoon. 

Apple Marmalade. — Select, tart apples, of fine 
flavor, wash and cut in quarters, leaving both peel 
and cores to give it flavor. Put the apple into a porce- 
lain kettle with a little water to prevent scorching. 
A pint to half a peck of fruit is sufficient. Let it cook 
till soft enough to mash easily, then cool and sift. A 
larsre mixing bowl is nice to sift it into ; never use 
tin for any fruit. When sifted, measure, and to each 
pint allow a pound of sugar. Put together in the 
kettle and heat gradually, stirring until the sugar is 
dissolved. Let it boil gently for three-quarters of an 
hour, stirring nearly all the time ; put it in bowls or 
glasses — pint bowls are best, as marmalade is likely 
to dry if in very small dishes. 



136 Dining Room Notes. 

Apples make a very nice foundation for marma- 
lades, flavoring v/ith other fruits. One large pine- 
apple, or half a dozen quinces (or the peelings and 
cores of the latter, left from preserves or pickles), to 
half a peck of apples, makes it very nice. 

Quince Marmalade. — Make exactly like apple 
marmalade. 

All marmalades and jams should have a layer of 
sugar put over the top before covering with pap.er. 
It prevents mould and drying. Paper pasted over 
the top of marmalade or jelly is much better than the 
covers which come with many of the glasses. Cut 
rather thick paper, brown or white, in rounds an inch 
larger than the tops of the bowls or glasses. Wet the 
edge with flour paste and press down smoothly over 
the side of the glass. 

These covers should not be put on until the second 
or third day after making. 

Strawberry Jam. — Three-quarters of a pound of 
sugar to each pound of berries. Put together in a 
porcelain kettle, and when the sugar begins to melt 
mash the berries with a strong wooden spoon or a 
potato masher. When it boils stir constantly for 
twenty minutes, boiling gently. Put in bowls or jelly 
oflasses. When made from wild strawberries the 
flavor is much finer. 

Peach Jam. — When preparing peaches to can 
there are many which break. These pieces make de- 
licious jam. Mash the fruit with a potato masher as 
fine as possible, heat till just scalding hot, cool and 
sift through a fine colander. To each pint allow 



Preserves, yellics. Etc. 137 

three quarters of a pound of su<^ar ; put it into the 
kettle together an(i stir till the sugar is melted. Boil 
slowly half an hour, stirring nearly all the time. It 
is very nice to use in cake puddings, in place of the 
fresh fruit, makes delicious tarts, and Ms easily made. 
Plums, especially damsons, make very nice jam, using 
this rule. 

Barberry Jam. — The berries should be perfectly 
ripe and fresh. Put them in a kettle with half a pint 
of water to each two quarts of fruit and mash the 
berries until warm but not hot. Sift, and to each 
pint alluw a pound of sugar ; iieat giadujilly and boil 
twenty minutes. 

Pineapple Jam. — Peel and grate the fruit ; to 
each pint allow a pound of sugar, and boil gently 
three-quarters of an hour, stirring very often. 

Blackberry and Raspberry Jam are made pre- 
cisely like strawberry jam, excepting that the black- 
berry should boil one- half hour instead of twenty 
minutes. 

Grape Jam. — Pick the grapes carefully from the 
stems, wash and drain, and put them in a porcelain 
kettle over a slow fire, breaking the grapes with a 
potato masher. When warm, but not hot — as scald- 
ing any fruit with seeds gives a strong, unpleasant 
flavor — remove from the fire, cool a little and sift 
through a coarse sieve. To each pint allow three- 
quarters of a pound of sugar. Return to the Kettle 
and boil half an hour, stirring often. Put in fruit 
jars. It is nice to serve with meats, if only half a 
pound of sugar is used. 



■3S 



Dining Roo7n Notes. 



Cranberry Jam. — Select firm, ripe berries, wash 
and put them a preserving kettle with one quart of 
water to three quarts of cranberries. Boil rapidly 
for twenty minutes, mashing the berries with a strong 
wooden spoon or potato masher. Cool and sift. Re- 
turn to the kettle (which should be washed and 
dried) and bring just to the boiling point. Can im- 
mediately. If the fruit is ripe and the jars perfect 
this jam will keep all through the 3^ear. When want- 
ed for use heat in a porcelain sauce pan with suffi- 
cient sugai" and pour into moulds. 

Strawberry Preserves. — Allow one pound of 
sugar to each pound of fruit. Put together in the 
preserving kettle and heat gradually ; simmer gently 
for ten minutes, skim out the fruit carefully and boil 
the syrup rapidly ten minutes. Then add the fruit 
and boil very slowly five minutes. Put into bowls- 
or glasses, and when cold cover the tops with pa- 
per. 

Preserved Peaches. — Allow one pound of sugar 
and one- half pint of water to each pound of fruit. 
The peaches may be halved and stoned, or left whole, 
as preferred, and peeled carefullv so the fruit need not 
be broken. Put the sugar and water into a porcelain 
kettle, and when it begins to boil put in the peaches, 
and boil slowly till tender and clear. Take them out 
carefull}' into bowls, and if the syrup is thin boil it 
ten minutes, pour it over the peaches, and let them 
stand till next day before covering. 

Preserved Grapes. — Take wild, or any large 
grapes when just beginning to grow purple, cut in 



Preserves^ yellies. Etc. ly^ 

halves and remove the seeds. Weigh, and to eacb 
pound allow one pound of sugar. Put together in a 
preserving kettle, heat gradually, and boil slowly for 
twenty minutes, or until the skins are tender. Do 
not stir it to break the fruit. We sometimes remove 
the skins before seeding the grapes. 

Preserved Quince. — Wash the fruit, peel quar- 
ter and core, and cover with cold water. Put the 
peel and cores in a preserving kettle with water to- 
cover, and boil one-half hour. Strain through a jelly 
bag. Weigh the fruit ; to each pound allow a pound 
of sugar, and one-half pint of water, including that 
in which the cores, etc., were boiled. Put in the 
quince and boil gently for fifteen minutes, skim out 
the pieces, tailing great care not to break them. Add 
the su2"ar to the boilinsr water and when dissolved 
and boiling hot return the fruit to the kettle and sim- 
mer gently for fifteen or twenty minutes. If there is 
not sufficient syrup to cover the fruit, add water to 
make the desired quantity when the fruit is first put 
into the syrup. Boiling water must of course be 
used, and not too lavishly. 

Preserved PlUxMS. — Pour boiling water over the 
fruit if the skins are to be removed, draining imme- 
diately, that the fruit may not soften. Weigh the 
fruit, allowing a pound of sugar to each pound of 
fruit. Put together in the preserving kettle, heat 
gradually and simmer until the fruit is tender. 

Preserved Raspberries.— Use only firm,, freshly 
picked berries. Look over carefully, weigh, and to 
each pound allow a pound of sugar. Put sugar and 



54° Dining Room Notes. 

berries together and mash fine. Put immediately into 
fruit jars, and screw on the tops. These keep per- 
fectly and the flavor is delicious. 

' Preserved Currants. — Pick carefully from the 
stems, wash and weigh the fruit, and to each pound 
allow one pound of sugar. Put half the fruit in the 
preserving kettle, and when just warm, mash and 
strain through a jelly bag. Put the juice and sugar 
into the kettle and boil gently for fifteen minutes. 
Then add the remainins: half of the currants, and 
boil slowly rfor five minutes. The currants will be 
ju-^t cooked' through, and will remain whole in the 
jelly. 

Preserved Citrox. — Select well-ripened melons, 
cut in quarters, peel, and remove the seeds. Then 
cut in strips about onehall inch in width, cutting 
each into three or four pieces or in squares, as pre- 
ferred. Rinse, drain, and put the fruit in a preserv- 
insf kettle with sufficient cold water to cover, and let 
it: cook slowly until clear. Half an hour ought to be 
sufficient. Drain and weigh the citron, and to each 
pound allow one pound of sugar and one lemon 

Put the sugar into the preserving kettle with one- 
half pint of water for each pound of sugar Wash 
the lemons, cut in thin slices (removing all the seeds) 
and each slice in halves. When the syrup boils, skim 
if necessary, add the citron and lemon and cook very 
slowly until the citron is clear and very tender ; from 
half to three-quarters of an hour is sufficient. Let it 
cool in the kettle ^before putting in jars. Glass fruit 
jars are excellent for the purpose. Half a pound of 
sugar to each pound of citron makes very good pre- 
serves. 



Preseves, yellies^ Etc. \a\ 

Currant Jelly. Wash tlie fruit, mash, and 

-strain through a jelly hag. The flavor is hetter than 
when the fruit is heated. Measure the juice, and to 
each pint allow a pound of sugar. 

Put the juice in a porcelain kettle, and the suo-ar in 
a dripping pan, which should be placed in a moder- 
ate oven. Care should be taken that it does not heat 
too rapidly, or it will nielt. Let the juice boil rapidly 
just twenty minutes, then pour in the sugar a little at 
a time that the juice may not entirely stop boiling. 
Stir very gently until the sugar dissolves, let it just 
boil up, and pour into glasses or bowls. 

One pound of raspberries to each three pounds of 
currants makes a very nice jelly. Half each of white 
and red currants makes the jelly beautiful in color 
and more delicate in flavor. 

Apple Jelly.— Wash and quarter tart, juicy ap- 
ples — red makes the handsomest jelly — but do not 
peel or core them. Put them in a porcelain kettle 
with a pint of boiling water to one-half peck of ap- 
ples. Cook slowly until very soft, and strain through 
a jelly hag. Do not squeeze the pulp too much or the 
jelly will not be clear. To each pint of juice allow a 
pound of sugar. Put together in the kettle and stir 
until the sugar is dissolved. Skim if necessary and 
boil twenty-flve minutes. 

Crapj Apple Jelly. — This is one of the hand- 
somest jellies made, and is made precisely like apple 
jelly, excepting that it needs to boil but twenty min- 
utes. 

Grape Jelly. — Muscadines and Isabellas make 
;the best jelly. The former should not be fully ripe 



143 Dining Room Notes. 

when used. Pick from the steins, wash and put them 
in a porcelain kettle over a verv slow fire. Strain 
throusfh a thin flannel or strainer cloth a little at a 
time, but do not squeeze it, or the jelly will not be 
clear and smooth ; the pulp can be sifted for jam. 
To each pint of juice allow a pound of sugar. Pour 
the juice into the kettle and atld the sugar, stirring 
until it is dissolved. Boil steadily twenty minutes, 
skimming as it requires. 

Quince and Apple Jelly. — To the peelings and 
cores from a peck of quinces, allow half a peck of 
tart applet, wash, quarter and core, but do not peel 
them. Put all in a kettle, vvith just enough water to 
show at the edge when the fruit is wellpiessed 
down. Boil gently until the apple is reduced to a 
pulp. Strain through a jelly bag, and to each pint of 
juice allow a pound of sugar. Heat gradually, stir- 
ring till the sugar is dissolved. Boil gently twenty or 
twenty-fiv^e minutes. 

Cranberry and Apple Jelly. — Wash a peck 
of tart, juicv apples, quarter, but do not peel nor core 
them. Wash two quarts of nice cranberries and 
chop them a little. Put all into a porcelain kettle 
with just enough water to show at the edge, but not 
to cover the fruit. Boil slowly, stirring occasionally 
until well cooked. Half an hour should be ^ulS- 
cient. and care should be taken that it does not 
scorch. Strain through flannel, squeezing very gen- 
tly, that no pulp may work through. To each pint 
of juice allow one pound of sugar. Boil twenty min- 
utes, or twenty-five if it seems thin. This makes 
very handsome and delicious jelly. 



Preserves, y elites, Etc. 145 

Poke-Berry Jelly. — This is used only for color- 
ins: creams, jellies, frosting, etc. ; the recipe for it 
was given some vears ago in Harper's Bazar. It is 
made like any jelly, but as a small quantity only is 
needed, both juice and sugar are measured. A tea- 
cupful each of juice and sugar will make a quantity 
sufficient tolasta year. Last year we boiled the svrup 
only ten minutes, and poured it into a wide-nosed 
bottle, keeping it tightly corked, and found it more 
convenient. One-half teaspoonful is sufficient to* 
color a pint. A hard crust will form on the top, but 
it breaks easily and will dissolve readily. It cannot 
be used to color cake. 

Cranberry S.auce. — To make nice cranberry 
sauce the berries, after being thoioughly washed, 
should be put into a saucepan, (porcelain, never iroa 
or tin,) wnth a pint and a half of boiling water to* 
each quart of berries, and boil rapidly for twenty 
minutes, mashing the berries with a strong wooden 
spoon or masher. Then add two teacupfuls of sugar 
to each quart of berries, stir well, let it boil up, and 
pour into a dish to cool. It should be very cold when 
served. We usually pass the stewed fruit, after cool- 
ing a little, through a coarse sieve, and return to the 
saucepan before adding the suga?", let it just come toa 
boil, stir in the sugar and boil gently three or four 
minutes Then pour into moulds or a prettv glass 
dish. If one once serves the berries in this way she 
will never use them without ridding them of the 
tough and indigestible skins, which really should 
never be eaten. If the berries are not large and full 
use but a pint of water to a quart of berries. Lon^ 
cooking spoils both color and flavor. 



344 Dining Room Notes. 

Apple Sauce. — Put the freshly-cut apple into a 
saucepan, adding just enough boihng water to reach 
l^e top layer of apple, and boil rapidly till done. 
From twenty minutes to half an hour will cook any 
apples which are fit to make into sauce. Then stir in 
sugar to make it as sweet as you desire it, remember- 
ing that it will be less, tart when cold. The apple 
will be light, both in color and quality, and should be 
i-ery cold when served. If cranberries are not to be 
ibml, there is nothing equal to nice apple sauce to 
S€ive with meats. 

Frosted Apples — Select large, fair apples, not too 
sour. Remove the cores, but do not cut through the 
apple. Then peel and put them on a plate which 
will fit into your steamer and will also be piesentable 
®n the table, as the apples cannot be removed. Seven 
©r eight apples can be put upon one plate, one in the 
centre and the rest around it. Steam until you can 
pierce them easilv with a broom corn, and set away 
to cool. Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff' froth, 
add six tablepoonfuls — one at a time — of fine granu- 
lated sugar, and frost the apples while slightlv warm. 
Place in a quick oven till lightly browned. Serve 
very cold. This amount of frosting is sufficient for 
two platefuls of apples. For one plateful we use two 
eggs, as one is not sufficient to frost them hand- 
somely. 

These are delicious, and are especially nice for 
children's parties, being both simple and wholesome, 
and at the same time making a very ornamental 
^ish. 

Baked Apples, — Wash and core large apples — 



Preserves^ J elites^ Etc. 145 

pearmains are delicious- — but do not peel them. A 
little practice and a good corer will enable one to re- 
move the cores withont cutting through the apple, 
removing- the blossom end from the outside. Put 
them on a pie plate, and fill the core cavities with 
sugar, adding a little nutmeg, or other spice if pre- 
ferred. If the apples are not, juicy put a teaspoonful 
of water in each, and bake slowly till well done 
These are very nice served warm. 

Baked Sweet Apples. — Peel, quarter and core 
and fill an earthen pudding dish — not one of the deep 
ones — with the apples, pouring over them a little cold 
water, one-half teacupful to a quart dish full of apple 
is a good rule. Put tliem in a rather quick oven and 
when they have baked about half an hour sprinkle £ 
little sugar over the top An hour is generally sufE- 
cient to cook them, but some varieties require longer 
cooking. They should be thoroughly done, and are 
delicious to eat with bread and milk, or to serve warm 
with cream at tea. Whipped cream is very nice 
with them, and served with fresh rolls or good bread 
and butter makes a dessert which will be appreciated 
by most people. Any apples which are not too tart, 
are delicious cooked in this manner, using of course 
suflticient sugar to make them nice, and apples which 
are too tender to allow removing the cores whole, 
can be used in this simple manner with equal satis- 
faction. 

Baked Pears. — Pears are delicious baked in the 
same manner ; they do not, however, need to be peel- 
ed nor cored. 



B46 Dining Room Notes. 

Lemon Jelly. — Put a boxful (or one ounce) of 
gelatine in a large bowl with four tablespoonfuls of 
cold water to soften it, when soft pour over it just 
Ithree pints of actively boiling w^ater, add two and 
one- half cupfuls of granulated sugar and the juice of 
three large lemons. Stir well and strain through 
flannel, or any very fine strainer. Pour into bowls or 
moulds, and when cold put into the refrigerator until 
next day. One third or one-half can be made, in pro- 
portion, taking care in measuring the gelatine. This 
jelly can be varietl in manv ways. It is very nice 
made with the juice of a large pineapple and one 
Jemon, omitting the other two ; or, a pint of water 
may be omitted, using in its place a pint of strawber- 
ry juice. Very ripe peaches mav be cut in six or » 
eight pieces and put into the plain jelly, in which \ 
case one lemon only should be used and the peaches I 
should not be stirred in until the jelly is nearly cold. f 
Stir in lightly and pour into moulds. Large ripe '* 
strawberries or sliced bananas are nice used in place ^ 
^ the peaches. \ 

I 



Pickles. 



^' f^ALL them things pickles!" exclaimed an old 

\y lady the other day, looking at the windows of 

one of our large grocery stores, which were filled 

with jars containing the small cucumbers and the 

mixed and chopped pickles of the present day. 

'* In my day we had pickles that was pickles, good 
sized cucumbers cooked in our brass kettles. Some 
color to 'em. None of your little cucumbers two 
inches long, and that chopped stuff — I call it hash, all 
spice and seasoning I Wall, 'taint none of my busi- 
ness, as I know on, so long as I ain't got to eat 'em." 
And her big umbrella came down on the brick walk 
with an indignant protest against the degenerate 
fashion of the day, which taboos brass kettles and 
alum and adopts "spices and seasoning." 

Whether the pickles of to-day are really much bet- 
ter than those of old times which bore their full 
.measure of poison with their combined verdigris and 
alum, we cannot say. That is, so far as those which 
are kept for sale in the stores are concerned. The 
poisonous ingredients which go to make up ''store " 
vinegar making the unwholesomeness about even. 
But the home-made pickles of the present day, when 
"we can procure pure vinegar, are perhaps as whol- 
^ome, eaten in the small quantities which their hio-h 



1^8 Dining Room Notes. 

seasoning renders obligator}-, as such things can be 
made. And since those who hke them will eat them, 
let them see that they are properly prepared, cooked 
in porcelain and kept in glass. 

Pickled Cucumbers. — Here is an old method of 
pickling small cucumbers which we like better than 
any we have ever tried. Pick the cucumbers when 
they are two or three inches long, never larger, wash 
in cold water, dry carefully with soft cloths and pack 
them in glass fruit jars, putting whole cloves, stick 
cinnamon, pepper corns and allspice with them, al- 
lowing a teaspoon ful of each — except the cinnamon, 
we use a little more of that, breaking it in small 
pieces — to each quart jar, sprinkling them in with the 
cucumbers as evenly as you can. When the jar is 
full, fill it with cold vinegar, screw on the cover, or 
paste paper brushed with the white of an ^%%. over 
the tops. In this way, jars to which the covers have 
been lost or broken, may be utilized. Wrap each jar 
in paper, and keep in a cool, dry place. These are 
good in four weeks, and if the vinegar is good, will 
keep until the next summer as fresh and crisp as 
when first put up. There are two advantages which 
this method possesses over others. Its simplicity 
and the convenience of being able to put up a few at 
a time, for those who depend upon their own gardens, 
any one being able to gather from a few hills of cu- 
cumbers enough at once of the right size to fill a 
quart jar. 

When celery can be procured, it is a great improve- 
ment to these pickles, added in the proportion of one 
medium sized bunch to two quarts of cucumbers. 



Pickles. 149 

Cut off all the leaves and tough outside stalks and 
cut the rest into pieces about half an inch in lengthy 
distributing as evenly as possible among the cucum- 
bers. If it is too early in the season for good celery, 
the seed can be used, a teaspoonful to each jar, using 
with the spices. 

Should the vinegar become clouded or a white 
scum rise, which sometimes will happen if the vine- 
gar is not good, pour it off and add fresh, the best 
you can get. We never have any trouble in keeping- 
these pickles through the year when we have good 
vinegar to put them in. 

Pickled Onions. — Let the onions (alter peeling) 
lie in salted water over night. A teacupful of salt 
will be sufficient for four quarts of water. Rinse in 
clear water two or three times, letting them stand 
in the last water half an hour, then drain for an 
hour or two and pack them in jars with spices, (in 
the same proportion as in the preceding recipe) add- 
ing chopped celery or celery seed if liked, or spices 
may be omitted if desired. Then scald sufficient 
good vinegar to fill the jars full, pouring on when 
boiling hot. Cover and keep cool and dry. 

Pickled Onions, No. 2. — Peel the onions, which 
should be the small white ones, and let them lie in 
salted water twenty- four hours. For four quarts of 
onions allow a scant teacupful of salt to sufficient 
water to cover them. Rinse and pour over them 
sufficient good vinegar, scalding hot but not boiling, 
to cover, and let them stand three days. For this 
amount (four quarts) you will need for the dressing 
one-fourth pound of the best ground mustard, one- 

K 



I CO Dining Room Notes. 

half ounce of whole cloves, one-half ounce of stick 
cinnamon, one-fourth ounce of celery seed, one- 
fourth ounce of turmeric, and one-fourth teaspoonful 
of cayenne pepper. 

Drain the onions, put one quart of fresh vinegar 
into a porcelain kettle, mix the mustard with just 
enough cold vinegar to make a smooth paste, add the 
turmeric, pepper and celery seed, and pour into the 
hot vinegar, stirring till it thickens. Have the onions 
filled into the jars, with the spices divided as evenly 
as possible, and pour the hot mixture over them, 
shaking the jars gently that it may reach the bottom, 
Fill very full and screw on the tops, or paste paper 
over. Keep in a cool, dry, and dark closet. 

Pickled Cabbage. — There is a simple pickle of 
chopped cabbage which is easy to prepare and also 
very nice for those who like such relishes. Select 
firm white cabbages, cut and wash in cold water, 
and chop fine. To two quarts of the chopped cab- 
bage allow one bunch of crisp celery and one onion. 
Chop both, the onion should be very fine, and mix 
with the cabbage. Put a cupful of vinegar in a bowl 
-with half an ounce each of cloves and stick cinna- 
F-non. and a teaspoonful of pepper corns. Place the 
bowl closely covered, in a dish of boiling water, and 
Jet it steep for an hour. The spice and pepper should 
be pounded a little, enough to break or bruise before 
using. 

When the cabbage and other ingredients are chop- 
ped and mixed, pack in jars, nearly filling them, 
strain the spiced vinegar when cold, into a quart of 
cold vinegar, and fill the jars. This will keep well, 



Pickles. I c I 

and is ready for use a few days after it is prepared. 
When the onion and celery is used, the spice may be 
omitted, or if celery cannot be obtained, use one half 
ounce of celery seed, steeping it with the spices. 

This pickle is very nice seasoned only with the 
spices, or celery. 

Chow Chow. — Take one peck of green tomatoes 
wash, and chop them fine. Sprinkle with three ta- 
blespoonfuls of salt, and let them stand twenty-four 
hours. Then drain them well, and add a dozen small 
onions chopped fine, and when well mixed, stir in 
two ounces of white mustard seed. 

Put two quarts of good cider vinegar in a porce- 
lain kettle, add to it one ounce of whole pepper, one 
ounce of stick cinnamon, and one-half ounce of 
whole cloves ; let it boil slowly for an hour and 
<<train. 

Mix two tablespoon fuls of flour, four tablespoon- 
fuls of ground mustard, and one-half teaspoonful of 
cayenne pepper to a paste with a little cold vinegar. 

Return the spiced vinegar to the kettle, and when 
it is hot. stir in the mustard mixture, and let it boil 
five minutes stirring constantly. When cold, pour 
over the chopped tomato and onion, mix thoroughly, 
put into glass fruit jars, and wrap in paper. Keep 
in a cool, dry place. This makes a very nice relish 
to serve with meats, and will keep perfectly. Being 
uncooked it never ferments, and the tomato is crisp 
and tender. Bits of cauliflower boiled twenty min- 
utes, drained and cooled, may be added ; and a 
few stalks of crisp white celery chopped not too fine 
give a fine flavor. 



152 Dining Room Notes. 

Sweet Pickles. — For peaches, pears, crab- 
apples, and sweet apples, the proportions are : 
Three and one-half pounds of sugar, one pint of 
good vinegar, and an ounce of mixed spices, (stick 
cinnamon and whole cloves are best, with a little all- 
spice and a blade of mace if one likes) to each seven 
pounds of fruit. 

Select fair fruit, cut out the blossom end from pears 
and crab-apples. Steam the fruit till tender but not 
soft, and put into your jars. The tough skin of the 
peaches should be removed, and it can be done very 
easily when they are steamed, and there are some 
varieties of pears which are much better for being 
peeled. Boil the vinegar, sugar and spices together 
for five minutes and pour immediately over the hot 
fruit. Blackberries make nice pickles, using four 
pounds of sugar, one pint of vinegar, and one-half 
ounce each of cloves and cinnamon to ten pounds of 
berries. Put the vinegar, sugar and spice into a por- 
celain kettle, stir until the sugar is dissolved, and 
when it boils add the berries. Boil gently for fifteen 
minutes and pour into jars. If the usual amount of 
vinegar, a pint to seven pounds of fruit, is used, 
there will be " too many juices to one berry," and we 
have found this rule the best method of overcoming 
the difficulty. Blueberries may be pickled in the 
same manner 

Plums require four pounds of sugar and a quart of 
vinegar to eight pounds of fruit. The fruit should 
be steamed, like the pears and peaches. 

Quinces make nice pickles, though one seldom 
has enough of them to use in this manner. They 
should be washed and peeled, quartered and cored. 



Pickles. 



»53 



saving the cores and peel carefully. Boil the quinces 
very gently in just enough water to cook the fruit, 
for fifteen minutes, drain and put carefully into the 
simmering syrup of vinegar, sugar and spice, (the 
same proportion as for peaches,) for five minutes and 
put into jars. 

The water in which the quince was boiled should 
be poured over the cores and peel, and when the 
pickles are out of the way you can make several 
glasses of very nice jelly, or marmalade, a recipe for 
which will be found elsewhere. 

Sweet Apples make very nice pickles, indeed, 
with many they are the favorite sweet pickle. They 
should be peeled, halved and the cores taken out, 
then steamed until just cooked through, but not soft, 
and put into the boiling syrup until scalded through, 
three or four minutes will be sufficient. 

The Small Yellow, or Plum Tomatoes, make 
very nice pickles, either plain or sweet. For plain 
pickles the first recipe for onions, omitting the celery, 
is a good one to follow, except the soaking in salted 
water, which they do not need. For the sweet, fol- 
low that for pears and peaches. 

Many people prefer to stick the cloves into the 
fruit, instead of scalding them with the other spices. 
We do so sometimes, especially for peaches and pears, 
but for those who are not fond of a strong flavor of 
cloves the other is the best method. 

Ripe Cucumbers were so long the standard ma- 
terial for sweet pickle, that almost every one knows 
how to use them ; but they are very much better 



154 Dining Room Notes. 

steamed for twenty minutes or half an hour after 
soaking twelve hours in weak salted water, and being 
thoroughly rinsed in several waters. Then prepare 
the syrup as for peaches, add the cucumber, simmer 
ten or fifteen minutes in the syrup and set away in 
the kettle until next day. Then drain, fill into jars, 
boil the syrup for five minutes and pour boiling hot 
over the cucumbers, which we sometimes cut in 
squares, or narrow strips instead of the usual quar- 
ters. 



Postscript. 



To Cook Macaroni. — Take a sufficient quantity 
of macaroni to make a quart basin one-third full — it 
will nearly fill the dish when done. We usually 
break it in pieces one or two inches long, although 
many prefer it in long pieces. Pour cold water over 
twice, draining it well the last time. Then pour over 
it a quart of cold water ; it should heat gradually 
until it boils, then let it boil gently for ten minutes 
and remove from the fire. Drain, cut a tablespoonful 
of butter in halves and stir one very gentlv with the 
macaroni. Stir one-half teaspoonful of salt in a cup- 
ful of rich milk and pour over the macaroni. Butter 
an earthen dish and dust with bread or cracker 
crumbs ; then pour in the macaroni, cover with a very 
thin layer of crumbs, cut the remainder of the butter 
in bits and put over it, dust with fin e crumbs or flour 
and put it into a very quick oven to brown. Ten or 
fifteen minutes should be sufficient. 

Another way which we like very much is to fill 
the baking dish with alternate layers of macaroni 
(boiled as above, and well drained) and tomatoes 
sliced very thin. Season each layer of tomatoes with 
a little salt, and let the first and last layer be of mac- 
aroni, the top covered with crumbs and butter as 
above. Bake half an hour. We use stewed tomatoes 



1^6 Dining Room Notes. 

sometimes, omitting the milk ; canned may be used in 
winter. Cheese is used by many people with mac- 
5ironi. It is grated — which requires a dried piece of 
cheese — and about three tablespoonfuls of grated 
cheese needed for the amount of macaroni given. 
When cheese is used the crumbs are not put over the 
top. The cheese being — half of it — sprinkled over 
the macaroni in layers as it is put into the dish and 
the rest put over the top with the butter. It browns 
very handsomely. Macaroni is also used in soups, 
for which it should be broken in inch pieces, soaked 
half an hour in warm water and added to the soup 
about twenty minutes before it is to be served. 

Macaroni with Eggs. — Wash and boil the mac- 
aroni as in the first recipe. Boil six eggs hard, put 
them in cold water, and when they are cold peel and 
cut in rather thin slices with a sharp knife. Roll a 
small cracker fine, and cut a heaping tablespoonful of 
butter in bits. Butter a baking dish which will be 
presentable at table, and put in it a third of the mac- 
aroni. Add one-half the sliced eggs, sprinkle with 
salt and pepper — a very little of the latter — and put 
over it a third of the butter. Then another third of 
the macaroni, the remainder of the ^^%^ with salt, 
pepper and butter as before. Add the final layer of 
macaroni, pour over it a cupful of rich milk, dust the 
top with the rolled cracker and put over it the re- 
maining bits of butter. Put into a quick oven till 
nicely browned. 

Scalloped Crackers. — Warm a cupful of milk, 
season with one half teaspoonful of salt, a little pep- 
per, and a teaspoonful of butter. Split six crackers, 



Postscript. 157 

pour the milk over them, and let ihem soak. When 
the milk is all soaked in, lay half the crackers crust 
down, in a basin or pudding dish which w^ill hold a 
quart. Put a little piece of butter, a pinch of salt, 
and a dust of pepper on each, then the rest of the 
crackers, seasoning in the same way. Beat two eggs 
?.nd mix with two cupfuls of milk, and pour over the 
crackers. Bake in a quick oven twenty minutes. 

To Cook Rice. — Wash a cupful of rice in two or 
three waters, and put it in a double boiler with one 
quart of cold water, or milk, and one even teaspoon- 
ful of salt. Cover, and cook (after it boils) one and 
one half hours. This is a very simple, yet excellent 
method, and the grains are not broken as when 
cooked in an open kettle. If one has no double 
boiler put the rice into an earthen dish with the wa- 
ter and salt — milk is not so good to use in this case as 
it is likely to scorch — cover and hake the same length 
of time in a moderate oven. Rice is excellent served 
as a vegetable, with roast meats, poultry or fish, being 
preferred to macaroni by many people. 

Boiled Ham. — Soak the ham twenty four hours 
in cold water, changing the water twice. Put it on 
to boil in the morning, in a large kettle with sufficient 
cold water to cover it ; let it heat slowly and boil six 
or seven hours, filling the kettle with boiling water 
when necessary. When done remove from the ket- 
tle and take off the rind. Roll four crackers fine, 
mix with the crumbs a tablespoonful of sugar and 
one-fourth teaspoonful of white or black pepper, and 
rub it into the fat of the ham until it will absorb no 
more. A large wooden spoon or a spatula will be 



158 Dining Room Notes. 

very convenient for this purpose. Then put the ham 
in a large dripping pan — fat side upwards — and place 
in a very moderate oven for two hours. Serve cold 
in thin slices. It is better if kept one or two days 
before cutting. 

Boiled Tongue. — Select a large tongue, well 
salted, and soak it in cold water over night, In the 
morning put it in a kettle with four quarts of cold 
water ; let it heat gradually and boil slowly five or 
six hours ; adding water (boiling) whenever neces- 
sary. When done dip the tongue into cold water 
and then remove the skin. It w^ill peel more easily 
for putting into the cold water. Trim nicely and put 
away to cool. When cold roll in a towel or napkin 
until ready to serve. Cut in thin slices across, or 
lengthwise as preferred. 

Baked Beans. — Look over carefully a quart of 
beans. For real ' Boston baked beans," the small 
white, or pea beans are necessary. Wash and put 
them soaking in two or three quarts of cold water 
over night. In the morning drain and put them in a 
kettle with water to cover them ; heat gradually and 
keep at a simmering heat until the skins loosen 
from the beans. Then stir in carefully one- fourth 
teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a little boiling wa- 
ter and remove the thick scum which will soon rise. 
Drain the beans and put them nearly all, in a bean 
pot ; have one-half pound of salt pork (not too fat) 
well washed, the rind scraped and scored, and place 
it on the beans. Add the remainder shaking them 
down until the rind ot the pork is uncovered. Dis 
f^olve a scant tablespoonful of salt in a cupful of wa- 



Postscript. 1 59. 

ter and if liked, stir in one or two tablespoon fuls of 
molasses. Pour over the beans, adding sufficient wa- 
ter to just cover theni and place in a moderate oven 
to bake. Cook slowly, and all day, if to be served 
for the '' Saturday night supper," or cover and let 
them remain in the oven all night if to be served at 
breakfast. Water is to be added if necessary through 
the day. Before dishing the beans, tip the bean pot 
gently, pouring off the fat into a bowl. This should 
always be done, as otherwise the beans are too 
greasy. A pound of corned beef may be used in- 
stead of pork, or butter — which is better than either 
— may be used, a heaping tablespoonful for each pint 
of beans. 



Health Foods, and How to Cook 

Them. 



ONE OF the simplest and best methods of using 
the Health Foods, is the plain mush and milk, 
or cream and sugar with which it is generally eaten. 
For children, for weak and delicate persons they can 
be served in no better form. The growing habit of 
using these healthful dishes at least once a day in 
many families makes it necessary that the proper 
method of cooking these rich and palatable foods is 
known to all. 

Some people have the idea that all that is necessary 
is to have at hand an open kettle or frying pan in 
which to cook them, and a spoon with which to stir 
the mush briskly while cooking. 

" Health Food stirred, is Health Food spoiled," 
is a motto which should be hung in every pantry. 
After it is thoroughly mixed with the water in which 
it is to be cooked, and in which the salt should be 
dissolved, do not lift the cover till it is done. It needs 
no attention, save that the water in the outer kettle is 
not allowed to boil out. 

One virtue of the different varieties of these Health 
Foods, is that they are all as good after being cooked 
a day. For breakfast our oats, wheat, etc., are always 



Health Foods, and How to Cook Them. i6i 

cooked the previous day. If cooked in one of the 
Health Food Go's, porcelain boilers, it may remain 
over night. If cooked in tin, it should be poured 
into a dish when done ; a deep bowl is the best. In 
the morning, place, covered, in a dish of hot water, 
till well warmed through. It will be as nice as if 
freshly cooked, and will turn out like a mold of 
blanc-mange. Remember, it needs no more water ; 
no stirring ; nothing but reheating. 

It is always a vexation to see a dish of Health 
Food spoiled by improper cooking, knowing as we 
do how nice it might have been, with no more troub- 
le ; and our one desire in this effort is, that it will in- 
duce all who try these valuable articles of diet, to 
follow carefully the directions which insure success. 

The cups used in measuring hold precisely half a 
pint, and unless otherwise stated should be just even 
full. So too, should the teaspoon fuls of salt, soda, 
and cream of tartar or baking powder. 

White Granular Corn Mush.— One cupful of 
granular corn, four cups of hot water, and a tea- 
spoonfnl of salt Put the salt and water into the 
boiler, stir in the corn and place it in the outer kettle 
in which the water should be boiling. Cover closely 
and cook three and a half hours. Care should be 
taken that the outer kettle is filled occasionally with 
hot water. This mush is excellent served in place of 
potatoes, as a vegetable, and much more wholesome 
than rice which is so much used in this way. It is 
also very nice served with sugar and cream. When 
cold it may be sliced, dipped in beaten egg, sprinkled 
with crude gluten and browned in a frying pan, 
using a little butter for the purpose. 



1 62 Dining Room Notes. 

Pearled Corn Meal Mush. — Put three cupfuls 
of boiling water in the inner vessel of a double boiler. 
Mix one cupful of pearled corn meal with one cup- 
ful of warm water, add a teaspoonful of salt, and 
stir into the boiler. Cover and cook steadily four 
hours. This is delicious eaten with cream and a little 
salt, or it may be served with milk, or cream and 
sugar. 

Pearled Wheat Mush. — One cupful of pearled 
wheat, a teaspoonful of salt, and five cupfuls of 
warm water. Cook slowly but steadily at least six 
hours, it is next to impossible to cook it too much. 
Serve with cream and sugar. If eaten the same day 
it is cooked, it is very nice to turn it into cups or a 
mould fifteen or twenty minutes before serving. The 
moulds or cups should be dipped in cold water be- 
fore pouring in the wheat. 

Flat Wheat Mush. — Four cupful^ of water, one 
cup heaping full of flat wheat, and a teaspoon nearly 
full of salt. Boil three or four hours. If not disturbed 
vmtil morning, it may be turned out when warmed 
through, and cut in sHces to serve. If served the day 
it is cooked, it may be poured into moulds for a 
i^hort time. Serve with cream and sugar. This is 
one of our favorite tlishes of Health Food. 

Granulated Barley Mush. — One quart of new 
milk, one-half pint of granulated barley, and a scant 
teaspoonful of salt. Boil two hours. Serve with 
cream and sugar. Water may be used instead of 
milk but is not so nice. 

Fjne Granulated Barley Mush. — One cup 



Health Foods, and How to Cook Them. 163 

rounding full of fine granulated barley, one scant tea- 
spoonful of salt, four cupfuls of boiling water. Cook 
one hour. 

Pearled Oat Mush.— One cupful of pearled oats 
four and one-half cupfuls of water, one teaspoonful 
of salt. Boil five hours. Serve with cream and sugar. 

Crushed Pearled Oat Mush.— One cup heap- 
ing full of crushed pearled oats, four cupfuls of wa- 
ter, and a teaspoonful of salt. Boil two hours. Very 
nice cooled a Httle in moulds. Serve with cream and 
sugar. 

Granulated C>at Mush— One cupful of granu- 
lated oats, four cupfuls of hot water and a teaspoon- 
ful of salt. Boil one and one-half hours and serve 
with cream and sugar. This is very nice and delicate. 

Brain Food Mush. — One cupful of brain food, 
mixed with one cupful of warm water ; stir it into a 
double boiler containing three cupfuls of boiling wa- 
ter, add a teaspponful of salt, and cook two and one- 
half hours. Serve with cream and sugar. 

Granulated Wheat Mush.— One quart of 
boiling watt-r salted to taste. Into it while boiling 
rapidly shake the wheat very slowly beating with a 
silver fork constantly until sufficiently thick and free 
from lumps. Cook ten minutes after it is sufficiently 
beaten, and serve immediately. Mush from the 
Granulated Rye and Crude Gluten is made in this 
manner. 



Gruels. 



Pearled Corn Meal Gruel. — Pour two cup- 
fuls of cold water into a double boiler, add a pinch 
of salt and a tablespoonful of pearled corn meal ; 
cover and cook two hours and a half. Strain, and 
add a little sugar if liked, and a very \itt\e nutmeg, or 
serve with a little more salt and stir in a tablespoon- 
ful of cream. 

Granulated Oat Gruel. — Put a pint of cold 
water and two even tablespoonfuls of granulated oats^ 
into a double kettle, add one-fourth teaspoonful of 
salt, cover and cook steadily two hours. Then strain, 
add a little cream if desired — not more than a table- 
spoonful — and flavor to suit. A bit of orange peel 
may be grated in, and a little sugar added, though 
flavoring should be sparingly used in invalids food, 
vanilla and lemon being especially objectionable 
although most generally in use. 

Crushed Pearled Oat Gruel. — Allow an even 
tablespoonful of the oats to each half pint of boiling 
water. Cook in a double boiler two or three hours 
Strain, add salt to taste and serve. In salting gruel- 
one should be guided by the taste of the patient 
One recovering from a fever will require more salt 
usually, than at any other time, while in other ill- 



Gruels. 1 65 

nesses a very small amount of salt is often painful to 
the sensitive mouth. 

Brain Food Gruel. — Two cupfuls of w^ater, 
three heaping teaspoonfuls of brain food, and one- 
fourth teaspoonful of salt. Cook in a double boiler 
tw^o hours. Strain, and serve plain, or add a little 
cream and sugar if liked. 

Barley Gruel. — Put a pint and a half of cold 
water, and a scant half cup of granulated barley into 
a double boiler, and cook steadily three hours. Strain, 
and serve warm with a little salt in it, or let it cool, 
and add a little lemon juice and sugar. This makes a 
delicate and nourishing drink. A little more water 
may be added when it is taken cold if one wishes. 

Universal Food Gruel. — Scald half a pint of 
new milk, and when boiling stir in a heaping tea- 
spoonful of Universal Food, mixed to a smooth paste 
with a very little cold milk or water. Stir for two 
or three minutes, and pour it into a bowl which 
must be placed in a dish of boiling water for half an 
hour, stirring occasionally. When done, salt and 
sweeten as desired and eat warm. 

Universal Food Blancmange. — Boil one-half 
pint of water, and add to it two heaping tablespoon - 
fuls of Universal Food mixed with half a pint of milk. 
Add a little salt — perhaps one fourth of a teaspoon- 
ful, and stir till it boils ; then pour it into a double 
boiler and cook two hours. Dip moulds or cups into 
cold water, pour in the blancmange, and keep in a 
cool place until it is wanted. Serve with cream and 
sugar. 

L 



Cold Blast Extra Flour. 



THIS rich white flour, containing a large propor- 
tion of gluten, and, therefore much more substan- 
tial nutriment than any flour in the market, may be 
used in any recipe in place of the ordinary flour, 
remembering only, that much less is necessary, than 
of other brands. Bread, rolls, soda biscuits etc., must 
be mixed much softer when this flour is used ; a 
cake which requires, say, two cupfuls of ordinary 
flour, requiring but a cup and three-quarters of this. 
After using a short time however, the gain from an 
■economical point of view, will be considered of 
flight importance beside the gain in strength-giving 
[power. 

Cold Blast Extra Rolls, No. i. — Eight cup- 
fuls of cold blast extra flour, two cupfuls of milk, 
two tablespoon fuls of butter, one-half cupful of 
yeast, or one-half cake of compressed yeast, dissolved 
in one-half cupful of warm water, one tablespoonful 
of sugar, and one-half teaspoonful of salt. Place the 
flour in a pan over a kettle of water just hot enough 
to steam, and stir the flour until it is warm. The milk 
should be scalded and cooled till hike warm, the but- 
ter softened sufficiently to stir easily, but not melted. 
Put the flour in a large mixing bowl which has been 
warmed, and add to it the milk (in which salt and 



Cold Blast Extra Flour. 167 

sugar has been dissolved), yeast and butter. Stir well, 
turn out and knead thoroughly. Return to the bowl, 
cover and keep warm till very light, which will be in 
about four hours. Knead again, roll one-half inch 
thick, cut out, spread with butter lightly and fold to- 
gether. Place very close together in a dripping pan, 
and rise till the pan is full. Brush the top with 
melted butter, and bake slowly from twenty five to 
thirty minutes. 

Cold Blast Extra Rolls No. 2. — Three cup- 
fuls of Cold Blast Extra Flour, one cupful of milk, 
a heaping tablespoonful of butter, a teaspoonful of 
sugar, the white of one o.^^ beaten to a stifl' froth, 
and three teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Mix the 
butter with the flour, sift in the baking powder and 
stir well together. Add the milk, sugar, and ^%%, 
and mix quickly. 

Roll rather more than half an inch thick, cut into 
rounds and fold one-half over, placing a bit of butter 
under the folded edge, or, cut in squares about four 
inches across, cut each in two, cornerwise, and roll up 
commencing with the longest side. Curve into horse 
shoe shape; brush over with milk, after placing them 
in buttered tins, and bake ten or twelve minutes in a 
quick oven. The flour should always be sifted be- 
fore measuring. 

Cold Blast Extra Biscuit, — One cup and a 
half of milk, four cups of flour, one-third cup of but- 
ter, three heaping tea^^poonfuls of baking powder. 
Mix the butter and flour together, sift in the powder 
stirring thoroughly, then mix with the milk, as quick- 
ly as possible. Mould just enough to get the dough 



1 68 Dining Room Notes. 

in shape to roll. Roll an inch or more in thickness^ 
cut into biscuits, and bake in a quick oven. If the 
oven is sufficiently hot, ten minutes will be long- 
enough. 

Cold Blast Extra Bread. — One quart of sweet 
new milk lukewarm, or one quart of warm water, 
one teacupful of good sweet yeast, home made, or 
one cake of dry yeast dissolved in a cupful of warm 
water and strained. Mix just stiff enough to. knead 
easily, knead well, put in a large mixing bowl, cover 
with an inverted pan that will not touch the bread, 
and let it rise till morning, when it must be well 
kneaded. Cut it in loaves and set to rise in the bak- 
ing pans, which should be about half full. Place 
where they will keep warm, cover with a cloth, and 
when the pans are rounding full, put in a moderate 
oven and bake about an hour. 

Cold Blast Extra Bread (With Compress- 
ed Yeast). — One pint of warm new milk, one tea- 
spoonful of salt and two of sugar, one-half of a tw^o 
cent cake of yeast. When the yeast is dissolved, 
mix in sufficient flour for a thick batter, cover and let 
it rise until very light which should not take more 
than three hours. Then mix in just enough flour to 
knead smoothly, and when well kneaded, cut 
into loaves and put in pans to rise ; rise and bake 
like the preceeding recipe. This bread can be easily 
made and baked in five houis. 

Cream Toast. — Put a cupful of milk into a sauce- 
pan, or a double boiler, add a pinch of salt, and mix a 
teaspoonful of purified gluten with a little of the milk 



Cold Blast Extra Flour. 169 

to a smooth paste. When the milk is scalding hot, 
stir in the gluten, and stir till it thickens. Toast a 
slice of whole wheat flour bread, or the fine granu- 
lated wheat, to a delicate brown. Cut off* the crusts, 
«tir two tablespoon fuls of cream into the thickened 
milk, and dip in the toast. Let it stand a minute and 
dish. A few gluten wafers, heated in the oven and 
put into the cream for a minute, are very nice. 

The cold blast extra flour bread also makes very 
nice toast. Butter may be used instead of cream, but 
is not so nice. This amount of cream will be suffic- 
ient for two slices of toast. 



Peeled Wheat Flour. 



THIS IS a fine fiour made from the best whole 
grain after the removal of the four bran-coats — 
the wheat being peeled or denuded of its strawy 
covering, by water and agitation. The flouring pro- 
cess is performed without millstones, thus no heat is 
imparted and no millstone grit added. The flour is 
not bolted or sifted, and therefore contains all the 
nutriment of the wheat. The bread made from this 
flour is not white, but it is fully fifty per cent richer 
in gluten than any other flour to be found, — accord- 
ing to Prof Leeds. It contains three to four times 
as much of the phosphates — for the brain, the nerves, 
and the bones — as the best commercial flour. It 
is therefore a very powerful upbuilding food, con- 
taining all that is demanded for the best growth of 
children, and the support of adult life. The '* C. B. 
X." or Cold Blast Extra flour is prepared by similar 
methods. It is a fairly white flour, very rich in nitro- 
gen, and therefore more nourishing than other white 
flours. 

Peeled Wheat Flour Bread No. i. — One-third 
of a cake of compressed yeast, three cupfuls of warm 
milk, or water, or half of each, half a teaspoon! ul of^ 
salt, two teaspoorifuls of sugar if liked, and four cup- 
fuls of Peeled Wheat (formerly called Cold Blast 



Peeled Wheat Flour. 171 

Whole Wheat) Hour. Let it rise two or three hours^ 
then stir in enough flour to make as soft a dough as 
can be kneaded smoothly. Put in pans which should 
be about half full, and rise till the pans are nearly 
full. This bread should not be over- risen. Bake 
thoroughly. In cold weather, the flour should be 
warmed before mixing the bread, just enough to re- 
move the chill, also place the moulding board before 
the fire till it is well warmed. This renders long 
rising unnecessary, a point of great importance in 
all bread made from these rich flours. 

Peeled Wheat Flour Bread No. 2. — One-half 
cup of good sweet home made yeast, one pint of 
warm milk, or water, and sufficient peeled wheat 
flour to make a stiff batter. Let it rise all night, tak- 
ing care it is not kept too warm. In the morning 
mix in flour to make it sufficiently stiff" to knead. 
Knead thoroughly, put in pans and rise till light- 
Bake in a moderate oven till well done. 

Peeled Wheat Flour Bread, No. 3. — Three 
cupfuls of peeled wheat flour, one and one-fourth 
cups of milk, in which dissolve a pinch of salt, one 
tablespoonful of butter, melted and mixed with the 
milk, three teaspoonfuls of bakin^;^ powder sifted 
with the flour. Mix all together quickly, mould 
lightly and roll large enough to Ht into a round tin 
pie plate, and come up well around the edge. Bake 
fifteen or twenty tninutes in a verv quick oven. This 
is delicious bread, and very delicate. 

Peeled Wheat Flour Buxxs. — Take halt the 
dough from either of the preceding recipes (veast-rais 



S72 Dining Room Notes. 

■ed), when it is ready to be put into the baking 
pans ; roll it about half an inch thick, spread over it 
a heaping tablespoon ful of butter, dust over it a very 
little flour, and then add half a cup of sugar. Roll 
up and knead till well mixed, roll out again and 
spread over it half a cup of currants or small seed- 
less raisins, roll up, knead just enough to mix in the 
fruit. Roll about an inch thick, cut into small cakes, 
and place very close together in buttered tins. Rise 
till light, wet the tops with sugar and milk, or with 
melted butter, sifting sugar over them, and bake in a 
moderate oven. 

Peeled Wheat Flour Pie Crust, No. i. — One 
quart of flour, one cup even full of butter ; mix well 
together with a knife. Add just enough very cold 
water to make a stiff dough. Roll out, spread over it 
a tablespoonful of butter, sprinkle with sufficient 
flour to cover the butter, roll up, cut in slices, and roll 
out to flt the plates. - 

Pie Crust. No. 2. — Two cups of thick, sweet 
cream, very cold, one teaspoonful salt, one of baking 
powder. Sift powder and salt into a quart of peeled 
wheat flour. If not enough to make a stiff' dough, 
add more flour. Roll thin. This crust should be 
mixed with a knife, as quickly as possible. 

Peeled Wheat Flour Muffins, No. i. — Two 
cups of flour, with two teaspoonfuls of baking pow- 
der sifted in, one and one-half cups of milk, a table- 
spoonful of melted butter, and a little salt. Mix 
quickly and bake in hot gem pans in a quick oven, or 
in muflRn rings on a griddle, which is a convenient 



Peeled Wheat Flour. 173 

way if one's oven is not sufficiently liot They should 
be covered until ready to turn. It is unnecessary af- 
terwards. 

Peeled Wheat Flour Muffins, No. 2.— One 
and one-half cups of flour, one Q'g^ well beaten, one 
and one-half teaspoonfuls of baking powder and a 
little salt. Mix and bake in hot gem pans in a quick 
oven. 

Peeled Wheat Flour Apple Pudding.— One 
cup of milk, one and one-half cups of flour, one &^^, 
a little salt, a teaspoonful and a half of baking pow- 
der sifted with the flour. Beat the q%^ light, stir it 
it into the milk, add the salt and stir in the flour. 
Have a three-pint pudding dish buttered, and half 
filled with tart, juicy apples. Pour the batter over 
and steam one hour. Serve with liquid or braided 
sauce, or cream and sugar. 



finf No'.""'"'' '■"'■P' '"' P"'''"' -heat flour o^uf- 
hns, No. 2, requires one and one-half cups of milk. 



Granulated Wheat. 



THIS is a delicate, coarse meal, made by powder- 
ing the peeled wheat. It takes the place of gra- 
ham flour, and is much superior to it. It entirely dis- 
solves in cooking, and can be prepared for the table 
as mush in the short space of five .minutes. It makes 
excellent 9:ems, rolls and loaves. 

Granulated Wheat Muffins. — One third of a 
cupful of good, sweet yeast, or one-fourth of a cake 
of compressed yeast dissolved in one-third of a cup- 
ful of warm water ; one and one-half cupfuls ofJuke- 
warm water or new milk, a tablespoon heaping full 
of Cold Blast Extra Flour, and one and one-half cup- 
fuls of granulated wheat. Mix and cover, keeping 
warm for four or five hours, or in a moderately warm 
room over night. Then add half a teaspoon of salt, 
and if liked, a tablespoonful of sugar, dissolving the salt 
in a teaspbonful of warm water. Stir well together, 
and pour into muffin rings or gem pans. Bake 
quickly, but until well done, twenty minutes being 
sufficient if the fire is right. 

Granulated Wheat Muffins, No. 2. — One and 
one-half cups of granulated wheat, one cup ot cold 
water, half a teaspoon ful of salt, and a teaspoonful 
and a half of baking powder. Mix the powder with 



Grainilatcil W'hcat. lyc 

the wheat and dissolve the salt in water. Mix quick- 
ly, and pour into hot gem pans and hake in a very 
hot oven. These are very light and of delicious 
flavor. 

Granulated Wheat Muffins, No. \ — Two 
cups of granulated wheat, two cups of milk, two 
eggs well beaten, two teaspoonfuls of baking pow- 
der, one-half teaspoonful of salt. Mix the powder in 
the flour, add the eggs and salt to the milk, and stir 
into the flour. Bake in a quick oven. 

Granulated Wheat Breakfast Cake. — Three 
cups of granulated wheat, one and one-quarter cup- 
fuls of milk, one tablespoon ful of butter, three tea- 
spoonfuls of baking powder, and a little salt. Mix 
the powder with the wheat, melt the butter and add 
with the salt to the milk. Mix all together quickly, 
mould just enough to get into shape, roll just large 
enough to fit in a round tin pie plate, and come up 
well at the edges. Bake in a a quick oven. 



Whole Wheat Gluten. 



THIS is a flour made from choice wheat. In its 
manufacture the inert bran is excluded together 
"with the white starch. It is a nitrogenous or meat- 
like food, and is also rich in the wheat phosphates. 
It is quite palatable, therefore different from the 
French Gluten flour, which is washed out of commer- 
cial flour and is decidedly unpleasant to the taste. In 
cases of weak digestion, this whole wheat gluten 
proves a very nourishing and easily-digested food. 
In diabetes and Bright's disea>e, its use is earnestly 
advised by many distinguished physicians. For 
children, for nursing mothers, and for the aged, it is 
most valuable. 

Gluten Bread, No. i.* — One-sixth of a cake of 
dry hop yeast, one cupful of warm water, with a 
heaping teaspoon ful of butter, and two and one-half 
cupfuls of crude or "whole wheat" gluten. Dis- 
solve both yeast and butter in the water ; stir in the 
gluten and mix thoroughly. Cover closely, let it rise 
over night in a moderately warm room. Mould in 
the morning just enough to make into loaves, using as 
little gluten as possible. Put into a pan which it will 
rather more than half fill, let it rise until it begins to 
crack open, and bake half an hour. 

The recipes marked * are suitable for diabetics. 



Whole Wheat Gluten. lyy 

Gluten Bread, No. 2* — One-fourth cake of com- 
pressed yeast, one and one-half cupfuls of warm wa- 
ter or warm new milk, four cups of gluten. Dissolve 
the yeast in the water or milk, and stir in the gluten, 
leaving one-half cupful to mould it with. When 
well mixed, knead until you can shape it into a loaf. 
Put it in a medium-sized bread-pan, and let it rise till 
moderately light. Bake in a rather quick oven. 

Gluten Bread. No. 3. — One-half cup of good^ 
sweet yeast, two and one-half cupfuls of warm wa- 
ter or milk, and two and one-half cupfuls of Cold 
Blast Extra Flour. Mix and let it rise over night. In 
the morning add four cups of gluten, and if necessary 
a very little soda in a spoonful of hot water. Mould 
thoroughly, make into two loaves, put in bread pans, 
which should be half full, and rise till rounding full. 
Bake in a moderate oven till well done. 

Gluten Muffins, No. 4.* — Two cups of gluten,, 
two cups of milk, one egg well beaten, and two tea- 
spoonfuls of baking powder. Mix the powder and 
gluten well, then add the milk and egg ; stir quickly 
but thoroughly, and pour into hot gem pans. This is 
very nice baked in an iron frying pan (or spider) 
which should be hot when the batter is poured in. 

Gluten Wafers.* — One-half cup of butter and 
two cupfuls of gluten mixed well together ; add just 
enough cold water to make a very stiff dough. Roll 
thin, prick with a stamp or fork, cut into rounds 
or fancy shapes, and bake till lightly browned in a 
quick oven. 

These are very crisp and delicious, and will keep 
three or four weeks in a dry cool place. 



17S Dining Room Notes. 

Gluten Breakfast Cake.* — One cup of milk, 
one cup of gluten, a teaspoonful of baking powder, 
and two eggs well beaten. Beat well together, pour 
into a small cake tin, or plate well buttered and 
bake in a quick oven. 

Gluten Rolls. — Two cups of gluten, one-half 
cup of cold blast extra flour, one 0^%%., one table- 
spoonful of sugar, one cup of rich milk, two tea- 
spoonfuls of baking powder, and half a teaspoonful 
of salt. Mix powder and flour, then add the milk, 
salt, sugar and the ^^^., well beaten. Roll out half 
an inch in thickness, cut in rounds, spread with melt- 
ed butter and fold together. 

Bake in a quick oven till nicely browned. 

Gluten Fritters. — Two cups of gluten, two 
tablespoonfuls of cold blast flour, two eggs, one cup 
of milk, a very little spice, half a teaspoonful of salt, 
two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and two teaspoonfuls of 
baking powder. Mix the powder, sugar and flour 
together, add the milk and salt, and the eggs well 
beaten. Mix well, and dip into hot fat or boiling oil, 
a teaspoonfuFat a time. Fry till nicely browned. 

Gluten Gingerbread. — One cup of molasses, 
two cups of gluten, one ^z^-, three tablespoonfuls of 
melted butter, four tablespoonfuls of milk, a scant 
teaspoonful of soda, half a teaspoonful of salt, a tea- 
spoonful of ginger. 

Bake in a quick oven. 

Gluten Cake, — One cup of molasses, one-half 
cup of sugar, one ^%^., a tablespoon heaping full of 
butter, one-third of a cup of milk, two cupfuls of 



Whole Wheat Gluten. 179 

gluten, one tablespoonful of peeled wheat flour, half 
a teaspoonful of salt, a scant teaspoonful of soda, a 
a little clove and cinnamon, and half a cup of cur- 
rants. Mix butter and sugar together, add the Qgg, 
then the molasses, and the milk with salt and soda 
dissolved in it, add the spice, and stir in the flour and 
gluten ; when well mixed, add the currants. This is 
very nice and a particularly wholesome cake for 

children. 

I 

Gluten Pie. — One pint of milk, one-half cup of 
molasses, one-half cup of gluten, one egg, a little salt 
and nutmeg or cinnamon. Scald the milk, stir in the 
gluten, and let it cool. Then add the other ingredi- 
ents. Bake with one crust. Sugar may be used in 
place of the molasses if prefered. 

Gluten Griddlecares. — One cup of gluten, one- 
half cup of peeled wheat flour, two cups of milk, 
one tgg, a little salt, and two teaspoonfuls of baking 
povsrder. These are very nice. 

Gluten Pudding No. i. — Scald one pint of milk, 
stir in one cup of gluten and one cup of sugar, a 
little cinnamon, and clove, or a tablespoon heaping 
full of grated chocolate, and a pinch of salt. Cool, 
and add half a pint of cold milk and two eggs well 
beaten. Bake half an hour, and pour over it a cupful 
of cold milk ; bake two hours and a half longer. 

Gluten Pudding No. 2. — Make and bake like 
the preceding, excepting the use of a cup of molass- 
es, instead of the cup of sugar, use a little spice, and 
add a cup two-thirds full of currants, or a cupful^of 
raisin?, in place of the chocolate. 



i8o Dining Room Notes. 

Gluten Cookies. — One-half cup of milk just 
warm enough to dissolve a teaspoon heaping full of 
butter, or two-thirds of a cup of cream. One ^^^ 
well beaten with one-half cup of sugar, a little 
salt, and cinnamon or nutmeg. Add a cup of 
gluten in which a teaspoonful of baking powder has 
been sifted, then stir in enough gluten to make as soft 
a dough as can be moulded. A little flour will be 
necessary upon the board and rolling pin. Roll quar- 
ter of an inch thick, cut out, and bake in buttered 
tins in a rather quick oven. 

Gluten Drop Cakes. — One-half cup of sugar, 
one ^%% well beaten, one tablespoonful of butter, one 
cup of milk, one and one-third cups of gluten, with 
a teaspoonful of baking powder well mixed with it. 
Stir well together, drop in little cakes on a buttered 
dripping pan, and bake in a quick oven. 



Purified Gluten. 



THIS is the substance which is contained in the 
layer of gluten sacs, freed from the cellulose, or 
honeycomb like structure forming the walls of the 
cells. It is more nourishing than beef or eggs, and 
not only digests readily, but at the same time affords 
some assistance in the digestion of other foods. It is, 
in short, a concentrated food, being chiefly gluten, 
and very rich in phosphatic salts. Being nearly free 
from starch, it is used with great satisfaction by many 
sufferers from dyspepsia and diabetes, as well as by 
those who seek to lessen excessive fatness. It is a 
most substantial blood-making food, and children 
thrive on it wonderfully. 

Purified Gluten Muffins. — Two cups of puri- 
fied gluten, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 
one-fourth teaspoonful of salt, two cups of milk, 
and two eggs well beaten. Mix quickly, beat well 
together, and bake in gem pans in a quick oven. 

Purified Gluten Breakfast Cake. — One and 
one-half cups of milk, one egg well beaten, two ta- 
blespoonfuls of sugar, one tablespoonful of butter, 
two cups of purified gluten, two teaspoonfuls of 
baking powder, and a little salt. Bake in a shallow 
tin, in a quick oven. 

M 



1 82 Dining Room Notes. 

Purified Gluten Blancmange. — One quart of 
milk, four tablespoonfuls (rounding full) of purified 
gluten, one-fourth teaspoonful of salt, and the whites 
of two eggs. Mix the gluten to a smooth paste with 
a little of the milk, and scald the rest in a double 
boiler. When hot, stir in the gluten, stirring until it 
thickens and is very smooth, then stir in the whites 
of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth, and remove from 
the fire. Beat until very light, and pour into a mould 
or a shallow dish. Serve cold with cream and sugar, 
or whipped cream, or a soft custard made with the 
yolks of the eggs. This is very delicate, and also 
very nice. 

Purified Gluten Sponge Cake. — One cup of 
purified gluten, one teaspoonful of baking powder, 
one cup of sugar, a little salt, four tablespoonfuls 
of milk, and two eggs. Flavor with lemon or va- 
nilla, or not ; it is nice without either. Beat the 
sugar and yolks of the eggs together, then add the 
milk and salt, next the gluten and powder sifted to- 
gether, mix well, and stir in the whites, which should 
be beaten to a stiff froth. Pour into a cake tin, lined 
with buttered paper, and bake in a rather quick oven 
about twenty minutes. This is extremely nice, and 
sufficiently delicate to tempt an invalid's appetite. 

Purified Gluten Cakes. — One cup of thick 
sweet cream, one cup of sugar, a little salt, a tea- 
spoonful of vanilla, and two cups of purified gluten 
with two teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted with 
it. Roll about quarter of an inch thick, cut out and 
bake in a quick oven to a delicate brown. 



Purified Gluten. 183 

Purified Gluten Pie. — One and one-half cups of 
milk, two tablespoonfuls of purified gluten, one ^%%., 
one-half cup of sugar, and a little salt. Flavor with 
lemon or vanilla. Mix the gluten with a little of the 
milk, scald the rest in a double boiler ; stir in the 
gluten, stirring constantly till thick and smooth. 
Remove from the fire, cool, add the eggs well beaten, 
and the sugar, salt and flavoring. Bake with two 
crusts or with one, as preferred. When but one 
crust is used omit the flavoring, and frost with the 
whites of two eggs, four tablespoonfuls of sugar, and 
two of desiccated or grated cocoanut. Brown deli- 
cately in a very quick oven. 

Purified Gluten Pudding. — One quart of milk, 
six even tablespoonfuls of purified gluten, three eggs, 
and half a teaspoonful of salt. Scald one pint of the 
milk, mix the gluten to a paste with a little of the 
cold and stir in ; stir till it thickens, remove and add 
the remainder of the milk, the salt, and the eggs well 
beaten. Bake twenty minutes. Serve with whipped 
cream, sweetened and flavored. 



Flat Wheat. 



THIS IS the Peeled Wheat flattened to flakes, and 
is so thin that it dissolves quickly in boiling wa- 
ter, and is thus made ready for the table much more 
quickly than " cracked," or '* crushed," or " rolled " 
wheat. Like all whole wheat products, it is very 
nourishing, and, being an uncooked food, containing 
all its strength giving vegetable albumen unchanged 
by any deleterious "steam cooking" process, and, 
lacking the woody outer coats, it is readily digested 
by the most delicate stomachs. 

Flat Wheat Pudding No. i. — One cup of Flat 
Wheat (formerly Coarse Granulated Wheat) four cups 
of water, one- half teaspoonful of salt. Boil in a dou- 
ble boiler one hour, then add one cup of raisins ; do 
not stir them in, shake the boiler a little and they will 
be sufticiently mixed in. Cover, and boil an hour and 
a half. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream 
and sugar. 

Flat Wheat Pudding No. 2. — One cup of flat 
wheat, four cups of water, one teaspoonful of salt. 
Cook in a double boiler three hours, and let it cool. 
Then turn it out, and cut in thick slices. Spread the 
Jower slice with stewed apple, jam, or marmalade, 
cover with another slice, spread that, and so proceed 
until all are done. Return to the boiler, let it boil just 



n 



Flat Wheat. 185 

long enough to get well heated through. When served 
cut down through the middle, serving in half slices. 
Serve with whipped cream, sweetened and flavored, 
or any sauce preferred. 

Flat Wheat Pudding No. 3 — One heaping cup 
of flat wheat, four cups of water, a teaspoonful of 
salt, six large tart apples, peeled, quartered, and 
cored. Put one third of the wheat in a double boiler, 
then add half the apple, and another layer of wheat, 
then the remainder of the apple, covering with the 
wheat. Pour in the water and salt, cover and boil 
three hours. Serve with braided sauce, or cream and 
sugar. 

Flat Wheat Pudding No. 4.— One cup of cold 
wheat mush, one pint of milk. Heat the milk, and 
stir the wheat into it. When well mixed, add another 
pint of milk, a little salt, half a cup of sugar, three 
eggs well beaten, a little spice and half a cup of cur- 
rants, or a cup of raisins. Stir well together and bake 
forty minutes. 

The pearled wheat can be used instead of the flat 
and is very nice. 

Flat Wheat Crocujettes.— One cup of cold 
wheat mush, one tablespoonful of milk, and one of 
cream ; two eggs well beaten, a Httle salt, and a ta- 
blespoonful of cold blast flour. Mix well and fry in 
little cakes in clarified butter, taking care they do" not 
scorch. 

Flat Wheat Bread. — One cup of flat wheat, 
one-half cup of granulated wheat, two cups of pearl- 
ed corn meal, one teaspoonful of salt, three teaspoon- 



1 86 Dining Room Notes. 

fuls of baking powder, one-third cup of molasses, 
and four cups of water, two of which should be 
boiling and mixed with the corn meal ; the other two 
warm into which stir the flat wheat. Stir all together 
add the salt and molasses, and lastly the granulated 
wheat, into which the baking powder should be well 
mixed. Pour into a bread boiler and cook four and 
one-half hours, then place in a hot oven for half an 
hour. 

Flat Wheat Jelly. — One pint of boiling water, 
one-fourth teaspoonful of salt, two heaping table- 
spoonfuls of fiat wheat. Cook in a double boiler 
four or five hours, and strain through a seive. 

It may be slightly warmed, or served cold as pre- 
ferred, with a little whipped cream and sugar. 



Brain Food. 



THIS is an excellent food made from the germs' of 
wheat and barley. It has a flavor peculiar to it- 
self, is very delicate and easy of digestion and pos- 
sesses great power as a strengthener of body and 
brain. Dyspeptics find great comfort in its use. 

Brain Food Pudding, No. i. — One quart of milk, 
two-thirds of a cup of brain food, two eggs, a cup of 
sugar and a scant teaspoonful of salt. Scald a pint 
of the milk in a double boiler, mix the brain food 
with enough of the cold milk to make a smooth 
paste, and stir it into the hot milk. 

When well mixed, cover and let it cook an hour. 
Remove from the fire and when cooled a little, add 
the cold milk, sugar and salt, and the yolks of the 
eggs well beaten. Pour into a pudding dish and 
bake half an hour in a rather quick oven. When 
done beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, add 
four tablespoonfuls of sugar and beat till smooth. 
Spread a thin layer of jelly over the top of the pud- 
ding, cover with the frosting and place in the oven 
till delicately browned. 

Brain Food Pudding, No. 2. — One quart of milk, 
one cupful of molasses, two eggs, a teaspoonful of 
salt, six tablespoonfuls of brain food, and a very little 



i88 Dining Room Notes. 

nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Mix the brain food 
with a little of the milk, and scald the rest. When 
boiling hot, stir in the brain food, stirring rapidly two 
or three minutes ; add the m*olasses, salt, and spices, 
cool a little, stir in the eggs well beaten, and pour 
into a buttered pudding dish. Bake an hour and a 
half in a moderate oven. 

This is one of our favorite puddings, and we often 
make it with cold mush, when left from breakfast, in 
the proportion of a cupful of mush to a pint of milk 

Brain Food Griddle Cakes. — One cup of cold 
brain food mush, one cup of milk, two eggs, three 
tablespoonfuls each of "whole wheat flour and . 
gluten, one-half teaspoonful of salt, one and one- 
half teaspoon fuls of baking powder. Mix the mush 
and milk togetiier, stirring until smooth, add the eggs 
well beaten, and the salt, lastly the flour and gluten, 
into which the baking powder has been sifted. Bake 
•on a hot griddle without butter or grease of any de- 
scription. 

Brain Food Bread. — Three cupfuls of brain food, 
three cupfuls of warmed milk, three teaspoon fuls of 
baking powder and one- half teaspoonful of salt. 
Mix the powder with the brain food, then mix all 
-quickly together. Pour into a buttered steamer, or 
double boiler and cook three hours. A tablespoonful 
of sugar may be used if preferred. If the brain food 
is very fine it may be sifted, using the finer part for 
cnuflftns, etc. 

Brain Food and Corn Bread. — Two cupfuls of 
boiling water, two cupfuls of pearled corn meal, 
mix well. Add a tablespoonful of sugar, one- half 



Brain Food. 189 

teaspoonful of salt, one cupful of cold water or milk, 
and one cupful of brain food with three teaspoon- 
fuls of baking powder stirred in." Mix all together 
quickly, pour into a buttered pudding boiler and 
steam four hours. 



White Granulated Corn. 



THIS is as great an improvement upon Hominy 
as the " Pearled Corn-meal " is over ordinar}^ 
yellow corn- meal. It is free from hulls and bran 
and undigestible particles, and may be prepared in 
many pleasant ways. 

White Granular Corn Bread. — Take two cup- 
fuls of white granular corn mush, while hot, and add 
two cupfuls of cold water and half a cupful of yeasty 
or one-half cake of compressed yeast dissolved in 
one-half cup of warm water. If the compressed 
yeast is used, add a teaspoonful of salt, and two of 
sugar. 

Stir in sufficient cold blast extra flour, (the peeled 
wheat flour is also nice) to make it sufficiently stifl[ 
to knead. Knead it thoroughly, and put in a large 
pan or mixing bowl, and cover closely. Keep moder- 
ately warm, and when light, mould into three loaves, 
put into pans which they will half fill, and rise till 
the pans are full. Bake in a moderate oven three-quar- 
ters of an hour. 

This makes nice bread, moist and light. It may be 
mixed early in the morning, or if more convenient, 
at night, keeping it only moderately warm throu gh 
the night. 



White Granulated Corn. 191 

White Granular Corn Pudding, No. i — Cook 
three-fourths of a cupful of white granular corn in 
three cups of water with a teaspoonful of salt, one 
and one-half hours in a double boiler. When done, 
add to it while hot, one and one-half cups of molas- 
ses, two tablespoonfuls of corn flour, three eggs well 
beaten, and three pints of milk, reserving one cup of 
milk to pour on top of the pudding when half done. 

Bake three hours in a moderate oven. 

White Granular Corn Pudding, No. 2. — One 
cup of white granular corn, four cups of water, a 
teaspoonful of salt, and a cup of raisins. Cook two 
hours in a double boiler. Serve with cream and 
sugar or sauce. 

White Granular Corn Pudding, No. 3. — One 
quart of milk, one cup of sugar, two cups of white 
granular corn mush, three eggs well beaten, half a 
teaspoonful of salt, and a little grated lemon peel, or 
nutmeg. Bake half an hour. 



Pearled Corn Meal. 



THIS is choice yellow corn, prepared with much 
care, perfectly hulled, and freed from bran and 
all foreign matter. It is presented as a granular meal, 
either fine or coarse as may be desired. It is nour- 
ishing, delicate, easy of digestion, and very potent as 
a flesh former. 

Pearled Corn Meal Bread, No. i. — Two cup- 
fuls of pearled corn meal, two cupfuls of boiling 
water, one teaspoonfiil of salt, one tablespoonful of 
sugar, one cupful of peeled wheat flour, one cup- 
ful of cold water, and three teaspoonfuls of baking 
powder. Scald the meal with the boiling water, add 
the salt and sugar, stir well, add the cold water and 
lastly the flour with the baking powder sifted in. 
Mix thoroughly, pour into a bread boiler and steam 
four hours. This makes delicate bread. 

Pearled Corn Meal Bread, No. 2. — One cup 
of pearled corn meal, one cup of granulated rye, 
one-half cup of white granulated corn, scalded in 
one cup of boiling water until thick. One-half cup 
molasses, one-half cup of yeast, (or one half cake of 
compressed yeast dissolved in one-half cup of warm 
water,) one cup of water, one- half teaspoonful of 
-soda, one teaspoonful of salt. 



Pearled Corn Meal. 



193^ 



Mix the water, molasses, yeast, soda and salt to- 
gether, stir in the scalded white corn, then the corn 
and rye. Pour immediately into the bread boiler and 
boil six hours. 

Perfect Brown Bread. — Two cups of pearled 
corn meal, one cup of granulated rye, one half cup 
of good sweet yeast, one-half cup of molasses, one 
teaspoonful of salt, one-half teaspoonful of soda, two 
cups of water. 

Mix and boil in a bread boiler five hours. 

This is very nice bread, very light and wholesome. 

Pearled Corn Meal Puffs. — Three cupfuls of 
milk, three eggs, one-half cup of pearled corn meal, 
one-half cup of purified gluten, two teaspoonfuls of 
baking powder, one-half teaspoonful of salt, and if 
liked, two teaspoonfuls of sugar. Put the meal into 
a basin suitable to place over the fire ; scald two cup- 
fuls of the milk, and pour, boiling hot, over it slowly, 
stirring until well mixed. Place on the stove and let 
it boil five minutes, stirring constantly ; cool a little, 
add the remaining cupfuls of milk, the eggs well 
beaten and the gluten, in which the baking powder 
has been sifted, add the salt, and sugar if used, and 
beat well. Place buttered muffin rings on a hot 
griddle also buttered, and fill them with the batter, 
placing, in three or four minutes, in a hot oven till 
done ; fifteen minutes will be sufficient if the oven is 
right. 

These are very nice and delicate, they may;, be 
baked in gem pans, but are not so nice as when 
cooked in rings. 



194 Dining Room Notes, 

Pearled Corn Meal Muffins, No. i. — Two 
cupfuls of milk, two eggs, one-half cup of pearled 
corn meal, one teaspoonful of baking powder, and 
one-half teaspoonful of salt. Mix the meal with a 
little of the milk, and scald the rest ; when hot add 
the meal and stir till it thickens ; let it boil five min- 
utes and remove from the fire. 

Cool and add the eggs well beaten. The powder 
should be stirred into the meal before mixing with 
the milk. Bake in gem pans, in a rather quick oven 
fifteen or twenty minutes. 

Pearled Corn Meal Muffins, No. 2. — One 
cupful of pearled corn meal, one-half cupful of cold 
blast flour, one tablespoonful of sugar, one-half tea- 
spoonful of salt, one ^^^ well beaten, one and one- 
half teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Bake in gem 
pans in a moderately hot oven for twenty minutes or 
half an hour. 

Pearled Corn Meal Pudding. — Three pints of 
milk, one cupful of pearled corn meal, one cupful of 
molasses, one teaspoon heaping full of salt, a little 
allspice, or cinnamon and cloves, and two eggs. 
Scald a quart of the milk and stir the meal in, shak- 
ing it in slowly. When free from lumps remove 
from the fire, add the molasses, spice and salt, half the 
cold milk, and when cool a little, the eggs well beaten. 
Stir well, pour into a buttered pudding pan and bake 
an hour, then pour over it the remainder of the milk, 
and bake two and one- half hours longer, covering 
with a plate if it grows too brown. The oven should 
be kept at a moderate heat, as the pudding must bake 
slowly. 



Granulated Oats. 



THIS delicious granular meal is made from the 
best oats grown in this country, and the cleans- 
ing and hulling processes made use of, secure for the 
completed product a delicacy of color and flavor attain- 
able in no other way. 

Granulated Oat Muffins. — One cup of granu- 
lated oats, one cup of cold blast extra flour, two 
cups of milk, one egg, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, 
half a teaspoonful of salt, and two teaspoonfuls of 
baking powder. Beat the egg and sugar together, 
add the milk in which the salt should be dissolved, 
then the oats, lastly the flour with the baking pow- 
der sifted in. Stir well together and bake twenty 
minutes In a quick oven. 

Granulated Oat Pudding. — Two cups even 
full of granulated oats, two and one-half cups of 
milk, one egg, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, half a 
teaspoonful of salt, two teaspoonfuls of baking pow- 
der, and two thirds of a c#p of raisins. Mix and 
steam in a pudding boiler two hours. Serve with 
cream and sugar, or any sauce preferred. This is a 
very nice and wholesome dessert, especially good for 
children. 

Granulated Oat Bread, No. i. — Two cups of 



196 Dining Room Notes. 

granulated oats, two cups of warm water, half a tea- 
spoonful of salt, two teaspoonfuls of sugar, and two> 
teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Mix the powdef 
thoroughly with the oat meal, dissolve sugar and salt 
in the water and stir in the meal. Pour into a bread 
boiler, one with a centre piece is best, and steam two- 
hours. It is better if not cut till the next day, then 
slice and cover closely and put in the oven to heat 
through. I 

Granulated Oat Bread, No. 2. — One and one- 
half cupfuls of granulated oats, one and one- half cup- 
fuls of pearled corn meal, with which one tea- 
spoonful of cream of tartar has been well stirred, 
one and one-half cupfuls of boiling water. Stir all 
together, add a scant teaspoonful of salt, one-half 
cupful of New Orleans molasses,and two thirds of 
a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in two teaspoonfuls 
of boiling water. Stir rapidly till well mixed. Pour 
into a buttered boiler, steam four and one-half hours,, 
and then place in a hot oven for fifteen minutes. 



■* 



I 



Oat Flour. 



THIS bland and delicious article cannot be too 
highly recommended. Being one of the most 
delicate and at the same time nutritious of foods, it 
needs only to be known to become a necessary addi- 
tion to our household stores. 

Oat Flour Muffins. — Two cupfuls of oat flour 
measured after sifting, two eggs well beaten, one cup 
of milk, one teaspoonful of sugar, two teaspoonfuls 
of baking powder, and one - fourth teaspoonful 
of salt. Sift the powder into the flour, beat the 
eggs and add to the milk, stir in the flour, add the 
sugar and salt, and pour into hot roll pans. Bake 
twelve or fifteen minutes in a quick oven. 

Oat Flour Blanc-mange. — One cup of oat flour 
measured before sifting, three cups of boiling water, 
one cup of cold water and a teaspoonful of salt. Mix 
the flour to a smooth paste with the cupful of cold 
water and stir into the boiling water, (in which the 
salt has been dissolved) and boil three hours. Pour 
into moulds which have been dipped into cold water. 
It may be served slightly warm, or cold, with 
cream and sugar, and is especially nice with whip- 
ped cream. This is deligiQUS^ and very delicate. 

N 



lo8 Dining Room Notes. 

Oat Flour Drop Cakes. — One-half cup of milk, 
one teaspoonful of butter, (if cream is plenty, use 
half cream instead of the full quantity of milk and 
omit the butter), one- half cup of sugar, one ^Z%^ one 
and one- half cupfuls of oat flour, one and one-half 
teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. 
Sift the powder with the flour. Beat the q^^% and 
sugar together, add butter if it is used, then the milk 
and salt. Stir in the flour thoroughly and drop on 
buttered tins a heaping teaspoonful for a cake, and 
bake in a rather quick oven. Very nice and whole- 
some for children. 

Oat Flour Pudding. — Two and one-half cups of 
milk, four tablespoonfuls of oat flour, two tablespoon- 
fuls of sugar, one-half teaspoonful of salt, and the 
yolks of two eggs. Put two cupfuls of the milk in a 
double boiler to heat, and mix the oat flour to a smooth 
paste with the remainder. When the milk is scald-, 
ing hot, stir in the oat flour and let it cook half an 
hour. Cool, add the eggs, well beaten with the sugar, 
add the salt, and stir well together. Pour into a but- 
tered dish and bake half an hour. Serve with 
whipped cream sweetened, or cream and sugar, 



Granulated Rye. 



GRANULATED rye is not a flour, nor is it a com- 
mon rye- meal ; it is simply the best rye obtain- 
able, hulled and cleaned by our wet process, and re- 
duced to a granular meal without the injurious heat- 
ing of mill-stone grinding This process leaves only 
the pure food constituents, reduced to a granular 
form. Thus prepared, it is very rich in the nitrogen- 
ous elements, and is essentially a muscle -forming 
food. For the hard-working man or woman, or the 
growing child, few foods can be considered more 
perfectly adapted or more satisfying. 

Granulated Rye Breakfast Cake. — Three 
cupfuls of granulated rye (sifted before measuring), 
one egg, one and one-half cupfuls of milk, one table- 
spoonfuls of butter, one teaspoonful of sugar, one 
fourth teaspoonful of salt, and three teaspoonfuls of 
baking powder. Mix the butter well with the meal, 
then stir in the baking powder. Beat the egg light, 
and add to the milk, add to it also the salt and sugar, 
and stir in the meal quickly. Turn out on a moulding 
board slightly floured, and roll out to fit the baking 
tin. Bake one-half hour. 

Granulated Rye Puffs. — One pint of granu- 
lated rye, one pint of milk, three eggs well beaten, 



ioo Dhiijtf^ l^ooni Notes. 

Ivvo teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and one-halt 
teaspoon fnl of salt. Sift the rye and the baking 
powder together, then add the milk, eggs and salt, 
and stir the rye in rapidly till well mixed. Pour into 
buttered cups, or hot roll pans, or bake in a deep tin 
plate. Bake in a quick oven fifteen or twenty min- 
utes. 

Granulated Rve Muffins. — Two cupfuls of 
sifted granulated rye, two cupfuls of milk, two eggs, 
a little salt, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. 
For these, the cups should be rounding full of rye. 
Mix quickly. Slightly butter the muffin rings and 
place on a hot griddle. Fill half full with the batter 
and put into a hot oven to bake. Roll pans may be 
used, but the muffins are a little nicer baked in the 
rings. 



Granulated Barley. 



GRANULATED BARLEY contains all the nu- 
triment of ihe grain, and is reduced to a perfect 
emulsion of very easy digestion, by proper boiling. 
When cooked in milk, it is a delicious food, and is 
much more nourishing than rice. It is a fattening, as 
well as a muscle making food. It is simply the best 
barley, carefully hulled and freed from all irritating 
non-food particles, and bruised to a granular state. 

Granulated Barley Pudding. — Soak two cup- 
fuls of granulated barley in two cupfuls of water 
over night. Peel, core and quarter six or eight large 
apples. Drain the barley and spread it on a napkin, 
put the apple in the center, gather up the cloth care- 
fully and tie closely. 

Put into salted boiling water and boil an hour and 
a half. Serve with cream and sugar or any sauce 
preferred. 

Granulated Barley Custard. — Cook two- 
thirds of a cupful of granulated barley in two cup- 
fuls of milk or water with one half teaspoonful of 
salt, in a double boiler one hour. When done, add a 
pint of rich milk, two eggs well beaten, four table- 
spoonfuls of sugar, a little nutmeg and cinnamon, 
and more salt if necessary. Pour into a buttered pud 



io2 Dining Room Notes. 

ding dish and bake half an hour. A cupful of rais- 
ins may be used if liked, in which case the spice may 
be omitted. The raisins should be steamed an hour 
before making the pudding. 

Fine Granulated Barley Pudding. — One cup- 
ful of cooked barley, two cupfuls of rich milk, three 
tablespoonfuls of sugar, a pinch of salt, and two 
eggs. Put the barley in a dish with one cupful of 
milk, and warm until the barley is soft enough to 
beat smooth Then add the cupful of cold mi'k, the 
sugar, salt, and the eggs well beaten. Stir until 
well mixed, pour into a dish and bake from twenty- 
five to thirty minutCN. A little nutmeg may be grated 
over the top just before putting into the oven. 



Barley Flour. 



THIS is the best barley carefully hulled and freed 
from ininiature grains, and reduced to flour. 
It is a most nourishing substance, not rich in nitro- 
gen or mineral salts, but of great value as a food for 
invalids whose digestive organs are weakened, being, 
perhaps, the most easily digested of any of the fari- 
naceous carbons. 

Barley Flour Breakfast Cake.— Two cupfuls 
of sifted barley flour, one cupful of water, one table* 
spoonful of butter, two teaspoonfuls of baking pow- 
der, one- fourth teaspoonful of salt. Rub the butter 
well into the flour, then stir in the baking powder, 
mixing thoroughly. Add the water with the salt 
dissolved in it, mix quickly, knead very little, and 
roll to fit a deep baking plate Bake in a quick oven. 

Barley Flour Muffins — One cup rounding 
full of sifted barley flour, one cupful of milk, one egg 
well beaten, one teaspoonful of baking powder, one 
teaspoonful of sugar, one- fourth teaspoonful of salt. 
Bake in muffin rings on a hot griddle, filling the rings 
half full. This quantity makes six muflins. 

Barley Flour Puffs. — Two cupfuls of sifted 
barley flour, one cupful of milk, two eggs, two tea- 
spoonfuls of baking powder, one heaping teaspoon- 



204 Dining Room Notes. 

ful of butter, one teaspoonful of sugar, one-fourth 
teaspoonful of salt. Mix the powder with the flour, 
melt the butter and add to the milk, then beat all the 
ingredients together rapidly. Pour into hot roll pans 
slightly buttered and bake in a quick oven. 

Barley Flour Wafers. — Two cupfuls of sifted 
barley flour, one heaping tablespoonful of butter, two 
teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one halt' teaspoonful 
of salt, and three- fourths cupful of very cold water. 
Mix the powder with the flour, dissolve the salt in 
the water and mix quickly. Warm the butter suffic- 
iently to soften it, roll out the paste, spread over it 
half of the butter, and dust with the flour, fold over, 
spread on the remainder of the butter, dust with 
flour, fold again, roll thin, cut in shapes, and bake in 
a quick oven. 

Barley Flour Drop Cakes. — One cupful of 
sifted flour, two-thirds of a cupful of sugar, one-third 
cupful of butter, one Q%%^ one- half cupful of milk, one 
teaspoonful of baking powder. Flavor slightly with 
lemon or nutmeg. Drop on buttered tins and bake 
in a quick oven. These cakes are delicious while 
fresh. 

Barley Flour Pudding. — Two cupfuls of sifted 
barley flour, one cupful of milk, one teaspoonful of 
butter, one-third teaspoonful of salt, two teaspoon- 
fuls of baking powder, one Q'g'g^ one-half cupful of 
currants. Pour into a buttered pudding dish and 
steam thirty -five minutes. 

If liked, the dish may be filled one third full of 
tart apples, quartered, which vyill cook quickly, and 



Barley Flour. 205 

the batter (omitting the currants) poured over them. 
Serve w^ith cream and sugar or any liquid sauce. 

Barley Flour Custard. — Two cupfuls of milk, 
two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of barley flour, (sifted), 
two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one-half teaspoonful of 
salt. Scald one cupful of the milk, mix the flour to 
a smooth paste with a little of the cold milk and stir 
in. Cook two or three minutes and remove from the 
fire. Add the remainder of the milk, the sugar, salt, 
and the eggs well beaten. Stir well together, pour 
into a slightly buttered pudding dish and bake one- 
half hour. 

Sauce for Barley Custard. — Beat the white 
of one ^^% to a stiff' froth, add two tablespoonfuls of 
sugar and beat five minutes. Whip four tablespoon- 
fuls of cream till thick and light and mix all together. 
Flavor delicately with vanilla. This is very delicate, 
and the uncooked white of Q%%^ renders it particular- 
ly wholesome. 



Bean and Pea Flours. 



THESE are partly cooked flours, made from choice 
white beans and marrowfat peas. From the ex- 
terior, the pearl-like covering of silex and woody 
fibre is first removed by our w^et process ; the clean 
and denuded seed is then reduced to a superfine pow- 
der by the Cold Blast process, the whole resulting in 
a very delicate, nutritious, and easily-digested food. 
Beans and peas are powerful blood-forming foods, 
being rich in nitrogen. 

Boiled Bean Flour. — Mix a cupful of bean flour 
with a cupful of cold water, add a teaspoon ful of 
salt, and a pint and a half of boiling water. Stir in 
a tablespoonful of butter, or half a cup of thick 
sweet cream, pour into a double boiler and cook two 
hours. Serve as a vegetable. It will be of the con- 
sistency of mashed potato, and is very nice. If any 
is left put it in a shallow dish, press it smoothly down, 
and in the morning cut in slices, dip into crude gluten 
and fry to a nice brown in a little butter. 

Bean Flour Croquettes. — One cupful of cold 
boiled bean flour, a tablespoonful of cream or milk, 
two eggs well beaten, and a little salt and pepper. 
Beat all together till well mixed. Put a heaping tea- 
spoonful of butter in a frying pan, and when hot 



Bean and Pea Flours. 207 

drop in the mixture, a tablespoonful in each cake, 
and brown nicely on both sides. These are very 
nice. 

Bean Flour Soup, No. i. — One quart of water, 
one pint of milk, two tablespoonfuls of bean flour, 
one tablespoonful of butter and a teaspoonful of salt. 
Mix the bean flour smooth with a little of the water 
and put the rest in a saucepan or porcelain kettle to 
heat ; when hot, but not boiling, add the bean flour, 
salt and butter. 

Stir well until it has boiled up, then place where 
it will boil slowly for an hour, adding a little water if 
it boils away. Scald the milk and when the soup has 
cooked an hour and a half pour it in scalding hot, 
add more salt if it is not sufficiently seasoned, and a 
little celery seed (one-fourth of a teaspoonful) or a 
bit of thj^me or sweet marjorum or summer savory 
may be added if liked, but it is very nice without any 
flavoring, and is delicate and nutritious. 

Bean Flour Soup, No. 3. — Put a pound of round 
steak in a broiler, just brown it on both sides, over a 
very quick fire. Cut it in small pieces, and put it in 
a saucepan with a quart of water. Mix three table - 
spoonfuls of bean flour with sufficient cold water to 
make a smooth paste and stir into the broth. Cover 
closely and simmer for an hour and a half. Then 
pour in a pint each of hot water and milk, or a quart 
of water if you have no milk, add salt to taste, a lit- 
tle pepper or other flavoring as preferred, and boil 
fifteen minutes. Strain into a warm tureen. 

Bean Flour Soup, No. 3. — Put a pint of good 



2o8 Dining Room Notes. 

stock and a quart of boiling water into a kettle, sea- 
son to taste, and when it boils stir in three even table- 
spoonfuls of bean flour mixed to a smooth paste with 
a cupful of cold water. Cover and boil an hour and 
a half, add half a teaspoonful of celery seed or a few 
celery tops cut fine, boil five minutes, strain into a 
warm tureen and serve with biscuit or little squares 
of crisp toast. 

Browned Bean Flour. — Mix one cup of bean 
flour with one cup of cold water, and stir it into 
three cups of boiling water. Add a tpaspoonful of 
.salt, and a tablespoonful of butter. Pour into a double 
boiler and cook two hours. Chop cold meat fine, 
steak or roast beef is nice, and a cupful after it is 
chopped will be sufiicient. Butter a small pudding 
dish, put in first a third of the bean and spread it 
smoothly over the top ; then add half the chopped 
meat, put bits of butter over it, and a little salt. Then 
add another layer of bean and the] remainder of the 
meat, seasoning as before. Spread over it the re- 
mainder of the bean mush, and put bits of butter 
over the top, a little salt and a dust of pepper. Place 
it in a quick oven to brown lightly. 



Pea Flour. 



For soups, croquettes etc., prepare and cook from 
recipes for bean flour, in preceding chapter. 



Some Words from the Physician of The Health Food Company. 

THE duty of advising the multitude of sick persons 
who apply to the Health Food Company for 
means of relief, devolves upon the writer. In this 
immense work, demanding the annual consideration 
of tens of thousands of cases of disease, he is greatly 
aided by a host of excellent physicians all over the 
land, who from long experience in the use of these 
goods, are competent to prescribe them intelligently. 
With some of these physicians, the Health Foods 
are depended upon not merely as adjuncts in the 
treatment of such diseases as they may be adapted to, 
but often as sole means of cure. Others find a more 
speedy response to remedial measures when the pa- 
tient's powers are sustained by these perfect nutrients. 
Thus Dr. Austin Flint of New York, Dr. R. 
Hayes Agnew of Philadelphia, and many others, 
commend our Gluten as the best bread-food in the 
world for some sufferers; while Dr. Albert R. Leeds 
Professor of Chemistry in the Stevens Institute, finds 
our Whole Wheat and other flours to be the most 
nourishing in the world. Scores of good Ministers 
have been benefited by these food remedies and have 
advised the sick among their people to thus seek 
good health by similar safe and effective means. Some 
have even spoken from the pulpit, and one, the Rev. 
John F. Clymer, has preached a very able sermon 
on " Food and morals," in which these foods are 
warmly extoled. Fowler & Wells have published 
this sermon, with an appendix in which Mr. Clymer 
advises his readers to send for the free pamphlets of 
the Health Food Company and read them, and then 
to write for advice, describing their case. This advice 
has been widely followed, and great benefits have 
resulted. The pamphlets of the company are free to 
all, as are the services of its medical head, who en- 
deavors to understand each case and to give such ad- 
vice and prescriptions as will result in early relief and 
a permanent cure. Address, 

Next Door to Stewart's. No. 66 4th AVG-, NeW York, N. Y. 



Facts are Stubborn Things. 



^S there anything in any of the numerous 
advertisements of the Royal Baking Pow- 
der to show that the Royal does not use 
Ammonia and Tartaric Acid as cheap 
substitutes for Cream of Tartar ? Or is 
there any charge, or the slightest insinuation 
in those advertisements, that Cleveland's 
Superior Baking Powder contains anything 
but the purest Grape Cream of Tartar and 
Bicarbonate of Soda, with a small portion of 
tiour as a preservative ? 

Ammonia and Tartaric Acid produce a 
cheap leavening gas, which is not to be com- 
pared, in the practical test of baking, with 
the more desirable Carbonic Acid gas gene- 
rated by the exclusive use of the expensive 
Cream of Tartar. 

Use Cleveland's Superior Baking Powder, 
and judge for yourself of its superiority. 



TO YOUNG HOUSEKEEPERS! 



FREE TO ALL BRIDES. 



Notice is herebj' given to all the readers of this book and all their friends 
and acquaintances throughout the United States and Canada, that 

The household 

Will be sent one year as a 



To every newly married couple vs^hose address — and lo cents to pay postage — 
is sent to the publisher tvithin one year from the date of their marriage. 

Persons sending for this present are requested to send a copy of a paper 
containing a notice of their marriage, or some other evidence that will amount 
to a reasonable proof that they are entitled to the magazine under the above 
offer. Address, 

rrxziE: zzox7s»x3xzoxjX>^ 

^3x*«/tt;lo"looro, "\7't- 




Filled with the Choicest Plants 
and Cut Flowers. 

Flower and Vegetable Seed, 

ABOUT 2000 VA6IETIZS WITH NOVELTIES. 



SMALL FRUITS. 



25 Varieties Strawberries, 
25 Varieties Grapes, 

Leading sorts of Raspberry, Currant and Blackberry. 
I sell at wholesale or retail, and grow Roses and Verbenas 
extensively. 

Catalogue of 96 pages beautifully illustrated, mailed free. 

C. E. ALLEN, Florist and Seedsman, 

BRATTLEBORO, VERMONT. 



E. P. CARPENTER ORGANS 

Lately manufactured at WORCESTER, MASS., are now made in 

BRATTLEBORO, VT., 

where the business was originally established in 1850. Our Organs contain the 

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which is a guarantee of their superior ex- 
cellence. 

AN HONEST ORGAN. 

" The Carpenter Organs have won for 
themselves a high reputation for durability 
and fine musical qualities. An organ may 
be fine in appearance, but unless it is built 
honestly in every part it will prove unsat- 
isfactory. Mr. Carpenter makes most em- 
phatically an honest organ ; and this is, 
we think, the secret of their popularity."— 
Youth'' s Companion. 

WARRANT. 

Each organ containing the Carpenter Or- 
gan Action is warranted to be made in the 
most skilful manner, of the best and most 
perfectly prepared material, and to be, ac- 
cording to its size, capacity and style, the 
best instrument possible. Each person is 
given a written guaranty for eight years. 



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Where we have no Agent, ORGANS SOLD DIRECT at largest 
discount Buy no organ until you hav e seen our new Catalogue. 

E. P. CARPENTER CO., 

BRATTLEBORO, VT., U. S. A. 



6 E. 14th St. 

Epipoise Waist for Ladies and Misses. 

The enviable reputation w h i c h these 
waists have acquired is wholly owing to the 
meritorious plan of their construction, and 
the entire satisfaction they have given. 

The cut represents the Waist as made for 
Ladies and Misses, honed and with full bust ; 
the construction of the inside of bust, un- 
der fulled piece, is that of a corset front, so 
that a corset and perfect bust support is 
provided within a waist. 

UNION UNDERGARMENTS, 

Vest and Drawers in one. 

Made in all weights of Merino, Cashmere, 
and all wool Chemilettes, Princess Skirts, 
To^-*»c «so or Equipoise, Emancipation. Dress Reform, 

JLid-aies, »^.^o. j^jjd Comf.)rt AVaists. Corded Waists a 

lYAisses, y.lo. Specialty. Shoulder Brace and Corset com- 

bined. Shoulder Braces. Abdominal Supporters, Obstetric Bandages, Shoulder 
Stocking vSupporters, Sanitary Napkins, etc. Custom work promptly attended 
to. NEW ENLARGED ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE FREE. 



ivEx-s. .A^m x*xjx:'X'ozzx:x=i.y 6 isin i-^tix ist.y ]Kr."v. 





BOOK PRINTING 



AT MODERATE PRICES. 



PUBLISHER OF 




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.GAZINE. -^[BRATTLEBORO, VT, 



THE PEARL PLATE POLISH 

Cleans Silver-plated ware, and other metals, easily and rapidly. It contains 
no acid, or other ingredient injurious to the article cleaned, or to the hands of 
the person using it. 

Sent by mail postpaid on receipt of price. 

RANGER & THOMPSON, Agents, Brattleboro, Vt. 

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